"Let's eat here. I'll go call your parents." Li Hongjiang stood up and was about to go out.
"Why are you looking for me? I came here by myself."
Jiang's mother pulled open the curtain from outside and walked in.
"Sister-in-law, you came at the right time. Your family will all come to my house for dinner today. I am preparing to cook now."
"No, no, I just came to invite them to dinner. I'll be out for a while and there'll be no one home. Everyone is gathered at your house.
Everything is ready at home, just waiting for dinner. We'll get together again next time." Jiang's mother refused to agree to stay for dinner.
The Jiang Daxia brothers caught a lot of small fish the size of a palm in the mountain stream and kept half a bucket.
Before leaving, Jiang Damei asked Li Yuhe to cut off a roe deer leg and forced them to carry it.
"Forget about not eating here. Take the meat back with you. Xiaoxue can come to visit Auntie's house when she's free."
"Hey, aunt, go back. Let Huanhuan and Qiqi come to play with me when they are free. I'm leaving tomorrow afternoon."
On the way back, Jiang's mother was showing off her achievements.
"I've prepared quite a bit of dried food, which I usually eat as snacks, as well as dried vegetables and the like. I've also brought along the few prey your brother and his friends caught in the mountains. I'll go to the village this afternoon to ask if anyone has any in stock. It's almost Chinese New Year, and every household wants to keep some for themselves, so they might not be willing to exchange them.
If it doesn't work, I just saw that there are several more at your aunt's house, so I can go to his second uncle's house to have a look.
You can't be shabby when you visit your parents-in-law. You have to bring them some of our local specialties."
Jiang Mengxue thought about it and decided not to refuse. There was one thing that was right: this was a gift from her family. It might not be a valuable thing, but what the family prepared was always different.
"Mom, I'll pay you to collect some for me, but I can't let you pay for this. I'll keep the ones my family gives me, but I have to pay for the ones I buy outside."
After returning home, Jiang Mengxue took out fifty yuan and gave it to her mother in front of her sisters-in-law. On the one hand, she didn't want her sisters-in-law to feel uncomfortable, and on the other hand, she didn't want her mother to refuse.
My third sister-in-law's parents' home was not far away. Unexpectedly, she took my third brother back to her parents' home in the afternoon and brought back a lot of wild game and dried goods.
"We don't have anything good at home, Second Aunt. These are what my brother and his family picked in the mountains. You can take them to your in-laws to try. They probably miss this kind of food after not being back for so many years."
In the backpack were half a pickled roe deer, pheasants, hares, and some dried wild fruits.
Jiang Mengxue suspected that her third sister-in-law had brought all the stock from her mother's family.
"Sister-in-law, your parents need to eat it during the New Year. It would be inappropriate to bring all of it to me. I'll just take two."
"Don't worry, your third brother has seen it too. We still have some at home. These dry goods are not valuable here. I'm glad you don't mind them."
"Look at what you said, sister-in-law. These are all good things in other places. Even if you have money, you can't buy them."
Jiang Mengxue estimated the price of the items and gave thirty yuan to her third sister-in-law.
"Sister-in-law, you can't refuse this. This is not a cheap thing. The money must have been paid by you and my third brother. I am very grateful that your brothers from your mother's family are willing to share this. Brothers should settle accounts clearly."
Jiang Daqiu sat down and smiled proudly at his wife: "If I were your second sister, I would definitely give it to you. But sister, I have already told your sister-in-law that this is just a small token of our appreciation. We are a family, so there is no need to be so formal."
Jiang Mengxue put the things aside and sorted them out when the time came.
"This is not being polite. If it's yours, it's fine. We give and take. But this is also what sister-in-law got from her parents' home. In the end, you and sister-in-law still have to pay it back. This is not a small amount. I can't let you bleed so much."
"Alright, just accept what your sister gave you. She's right. Even brothers have to settle accounts. It's not easy for you either.
Your mother and your two sisters-in-law also went to find someone to exchange a lot of things this afternoon. See if it's enough and send some to your son-in-law. It's also good stuff to give to your comrades."
At first glance, you can tell that the things are not old or young, Jiang Mengxue couldn't stop thinking in her heart.
I hope that all the people living near the Jiang family have been plundered by the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.
Jiang Mengxue packed all the things by herself. She knew exactly where to put them, otherwise she wouldn't be able to find them when the time came.
When they left the next afternoon, Jiang Dachun and his brothers drove a donkey cart to take Jiang Mengxue to the commune, so she didn't have to carry her herself.
"Little sister, when you get to the army, remember to write a letter home. When you take the train, take good care of your belongings and don't leave the presence of your uncle and aunt, understand? Kidnappers don't just kidnap children; beautiful girls like you are even more dangerous."
Jiang Mengxue didn't expect that her elder brother, who seemed to be a very steady person in normal times, would be so nagging at critical moments. However, she knew that her elder brother was worried about her.
"I know, big brother. Let mom check under the tea tray on the high-legged table at home. I'm leaving now."
On the way back, Jiang Dachun was curious about what was under the tea tray.
In the yard, Jiang Yukun was counting the red envelopes his aunt gave to him and his brothers. When he saw his father coming back, he put some money in his pocket and went to greet him.
Before he could even ask if his aunt had gotten on the bus, his father slapped him and pushed him aside.
"Don't get in the way, go and have fun by yourself."
"Mom, my sister just said there was something under the tea tray. Did you see it?"
Jiang's mother picked up a few ten-yuan bills on the table and said, "Look, your sister must have thought we spent more than fifty yuan yesterday, so she left a few dozen yuan for fear we wouldn't want it."
Yesterday I bought twenty or thirty chickens and rabbits. Each smaller and cheaper one cost one dollar and fifty cents. In addition, I bought the hazelnuts, pine nuts, and wood ear mushrooms. They were all bought according to the prices at the purchasing station. Although the prices are not expensive, the quantity is not small.
"Your sister doesn't want us to suffer any loss. You all have to remember this. She left a note saying that she would not take any from home and would save it for us to eat during the New Year. I don't know when she put it down."
For some reason, Jiang's mother could feel that her second daughter was different from before. Although her attitude towards her family members did not change, she was very clear about the differences most of the time and was unwilling to take advantage of the family, even if it was just some ordinary food.
Although it is a good thing that the children can be more clear with each other to avoid conflicts in the future, I always feel that my daughter is not as close to her parents as before.
Maybe it’s because I’m married and I don’t like to stick to adults like I did when I was a child.
Jiang Mengxue had a lot of stuff, and it was difficult to put it inside the car, so she put it on the roof.
Fortunately, I was worried that the meat inside would leak out, so I wrapped it tightly. If it wasn’t tight, I would have to keep an eye on it and worry about someone stealing it.
I got off the bus at the nearest intersection to my home and happened to meet Ma Xiangqian and Cao Feiyang who were leaving get off work together.
Jiang Mengxue breathed a sigh of relief, finally she didn't have to find a way to drag it back herself.
"Doctor Xiao Jiang, you just came back from your hometown. You brought so many things with you."
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