Chapter 57: Building a new house, aunt making new clothes

In mid-March, construction of a house began in the backyard. Gu Jianhua brought bricks and cement from the county, and everything else was left to Gu's father. They built the house as soon as possible before the work in the field began.

Build three brick houses and add a backpack at the back to be used as a kitchen, bathroom, and two bedrooms as well as a stuff room.

The house was built for more than a month and was completed at the end of April, but people could not move into the new house immediately and had to leave it to air for several months.

Gu Jianhua and his wife from Suhe plan to move in in August. Since they already have a house to live in, there is no rush. Besides, their two children are still young, so it will be convenient for Gu's mother to take care of them if they live in the same room.

We start farming in May. This year, Gu's mother doesn't go to the fields, but Gu's father and third sister do.

Gu Xueer is a very sensible child and knows that the adults at home are busy.

When grandma was busy, she helped her look after her younger brothers and sisters. When Su He and Gu Jianhua came home from get off work, the little girl immediately prepared water for them to wash their faces, brought them bowls of rice, and moved the stools.

Su He heard from Gu's mother that she would bring them footbath water and help them wash their feet in the evening.

He said that’s what they did in the Li family before.

Wash grandma's feet every day, bring her the footbath water, and throw away the water.

She is not like the old witch Deng in the Li family who takes care of her father and mother. She is not unable to walk, but she still asks her seven or eight-year-old granddaughter to bring her footwashing water every day. She is not a grandmother at all. The old witch Deng in the Li family thinks of herself as a landlord in the old society and treats Xue'er as a maid.

Speaking of this, Gu's mother became very angry, and said that Third Sister Gu was a coward, too cowardly. Not only was she bullied, but she couldn't even protect her daughter.

Thinking back to her childhood, she was ridiculed and mocked by her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law for giving birth to three daughters, and her life was very difficult, but it was not to the extent that she had to ask her daughters to bring foot-washing water to her parents-in-law every day.

As for the things her parents gave her, she never handed them over. She would secretly take them back to her room and feed them to the children.

She is nothing like Sister Gu, who was snatched away by her mother-in-law whenever she brought back anything her parents gave her.

Su He is a soft-hearted person, especially towards children. When she sees sensible and well-behaved children, her heart becomes even softer. For example, the three daughters of Gu Erjie are all very sensible, so every time she comes over, she will give them delicious food.

She felt even more distressed about Third Sister Gu's daughter. She heard that in the Li family, half of the chores were done by Xue'er, and the remaining half was done by Third Sister Gu.

She is not saying that children cannot work. In her mother's family, her three brothers also worked when they were young, but they did not work like Cher, which was beyond their ability.

In most families, parents cook while children pick vegetables, wash dishes, sweep the floor, etc. They don't do much heavy work.

And Cher, in the summer morning, gets up at four o'clock with her mother, lights the fire, cooks, washes dishes, cleans the yard, and does laundry for the whole family. She is just a little girl.

This is exactly as Gu's mother said, the child is treated like a maid.

The same goes for Third Sister Gu. She would not only do it by herself, but she would also ask her youngest daughter to help her. Mother Gu said that Third Sister Gu would always ask her youngest daughter to help her every time she did something.

Oh, I really don't know how to review it!

On this day off, Su He took out the cloth she received for her child's full-month party. There were three colors of cloth: military green, white with small flowers, and navy blue.

She wanted to make two clothes for Xueer. The clothes the little girl was wearing now were altered from her mother's previous clothes and were already very old.

Su He made two pieces, one is a military green suit, which is the best and most popular clothing of their era, just like a military uniform. If you wear a military green crossbody bag, you will be the coolest guy on the street, just like what is said in the book.

With this in mind, Su He used the remaining army green cloth to make a crossbody backpack, which he would carry with him when he went to school on September 1st.

The white cloth with small flowers is used to make short-sleeved shirts, and the navy blue cloth is used to make short pants for summer wear.

It doesn’t take time to make children’s clothes, and Su He finished them in two hours.

Gu's mother thought Su He was studying and did not dare to go in to disturb her. Besides, the two children were asleep, so she stayed busy outside.

Xue'er and I were tidying up the weeds and bean racks in the backyard. Here in Meng Province, they start planting in early to mid-May, and of course, the backyard vegetable planting starts around the same time.

Su He went out to call the two people.

"Xiao He, the two babies are awake." Seeing Su He calling so anxiously, Mother Gu thought the children had woken up and hurried over.

Su He shook her head and took out the clothes behind her. "No, Mom, I made two clothes for Xue'er to try on."

Upon hearing this, little girl Gu Xueer's eyes lit up immediately. New clothes! She had never worn new clothes before!

Mother Gu said, "You were making clothes this morning. I thought you were studying so I didn't go in to disturb you."

He added, "Xiao He, you only need to do one, why did you do two?"

Su He said, "Let's do it together." Then he called the little girl, "Xue'er, let's go and try it out to see if it's suitable."

The little girl nodded excitedly and ran over immediately.

First try the military green suit, Gu's mother sighed,

“This looks great!”

Su He gave Xue Er the military green messenger bag she made.

"Mom, what about this?"

"It looks better this way. I see some young girls and boys in the county dressing like this. They look very energetic." Gu's mother also likes this outfit and looks at it from left to right several times.

Mrs. Gu asked again, "Is this backpack also made for Xue'er?"

Su He nodded, "Yes, school starts in September, and Xue'er is wearing this to go to school."

Gu's mother smiled and said to Xue'er, "Hurry up and thank your aunt."

Gu Xueer looked at Su He with strong interest and excitement in her eyes, and said shyly, "Thank you, aunt."

Su He touched her little head and said, "You're welcome. Let's try these two more."

The short sleeves and pants are a perfect fit.

When Su He made the clothes, he stacked up the trouser legs in several layers so that if the pants became too small, he could just let them down and they would fit perfectly.

With new clothes, a two-piece set at that, the little girl was in a very excited state. She was extremely happy. Su He gave the clothes to Gu's mother, went back to the house, and used the remaining cloth to make two sets of underwear for the little girl.

The little girl has no underwear.

Then Su He took out some soap and said to Xueer, "Xueer, let's wash our hair and take a bath."

Xue'er has been in the family for almost five months. Su He suspected that Third Sister Gu had never given Xue'er a bath. She felt that Third Sister Gu was not a competent mother.

I didn’t mention it before when she was in the Li family. It’s understandable that she couldn’t take care of her daughter because life was hard, but why is she still like this after returning to her parents’ home? The daughter is seven or eight years old, not a two or three-year-old child.

There was no underwear, and it didn't take much fabric to make underwear. Gu's mother's old clothes could also be used. She didn't even give her daughter a bath or anything.

As a mother, she really doesn't care.

Su He remembered that when he was a child, his family conditions were not that good, but his mother never missed out on basic underwear for the four children, and she also washed their hair and bathed them frequently.

I have to wash my face, feet and butt every day before going to bed.

She thought that basic washing and brushing didn't cost any money, so why didn't Third Sister Gu take care of her daughter? Could it be that she was counting on Mother Gu to take care of her?

Mother Gu has so many things to do every day.

"There's no need for soap, just wash with water." Gu's mother said embarrassedly.

Su He, "Soap washes clean."

So Gu's mother Su He and her husband gave little girl Gu Xueer a thorough bath from head to toe. The little girl's hair was a little yellow, her body was thin, and her ribs on her chest were clearly visible.

Not nutritious enough this is.

"Mom, why don't you cook an egg for Xueer every day? She looks so thin, even thinner than pork ribs." Su He suggested.

Mother Gu nodded and said, "Okay, I'll cook one for you every day from now on."

Su He gave the soap to Gu's mother and said, "Mom, tell my third sister that it doesn't cost money to wash her face. She should wash Xue'er more often."

Mother Gu nodded and said, "I'll tell her."

In fact, Su He was not the only one who felt that way. Gu's mother also felt that her third daughter was not doing her job as a mother. For example, she only cared about herself when she got up in the morning and did not even comb her daughter's hair. Xue'er had long hair and she could not comb it properly.

It is still her grandmother who combs her hair. For example, her child's toenails and fingernails are so long that she doesn't even help to cut them.

Gu's mother was also angry.

When it comes to treating children, her second daughter is the most meticulous. Although the third daughter's clothes are torn, they are always clean, her hair is combed neatly, and her fingernails are always neatly trimmed.

There will never be a situation where the child is without underwear.

At noon, everyone who went to work came back.

Little Gu Xueer happily shared with Third Sister Gu that Su He had made new clothes for her. Third Sister Gu came over to thank her and said, "Sister-in-law, just keep one. You can take this army green set back and keep it for the two babies."

After saying this, it was visibly clear that little girl Xueer was sad, and she lowered her head and looked at her toes.

Su He, "No need, Third Sister, I made this specially for Xue'er, why are you taking it back?"

Sister Gu said, "She doesn't need to wear two sets of clothes. One set is enough. You can keep Xiaohe's set for the two babies."

"No need, Third Sister. I told you I made it for Xue'er." Su He didn't want

Sister Gu insisted on giving it to her.

The two of them started to pull each other.

Mother Gu was speechless. "These are clothes that the aunt and uncle made for the child. You should just keep them. Why did you take them out?"

As she spoke, she took the clothes from Sister Gu San's hand and locked them in the closet.

Sister Gu smiled awkwardly, "I'm not..."

Su He found that little Xue'er was crying. She squatted down, half hugged her, and whispered softly,

"Oh, Auntie doesn't want the clothes. These are the clothes I made for you. Don't cry, dear. Auntie will make you new clothes next year, okay?"

The little girl's eyes were red and tears as big as beans rolled down her cheeks. She looked so aggrieved.

Sister Gu patted her daughter's shoulder and said, "Alright, alright, stop crying. You're not going to stop crying."

It would have been fine if I hadn't said this. Once I said it, I cried even harder and my tears couldn't stop flowing.

Mother Gu scolded the third sister, "You insist on returning the clothes that your aunt gave to your child. Don't you know how happy Xue'er was when she wore that army green dress? She planned to wear it to school when school starts in September with her schoolbag."

My granddaughter has never worn new clothes. She was so happy when she tried them on in the morning, but as soon as she came in, she wanted to return the clothes. Is Xiaohe the kind of person who would take back clothes she gave away?

Sister Gu said, "It's not me..." She was also embarrassed. After receiving so much kindness from her sister-in-law, how could she accept other people's clothes? Her sister-in-law even made two pieces for her.

Gu Jianhua came over and picked up little girl Xueer, and took out a handful of dried sand apples from his pocket, "Uncle will give you some dried fruits, so we won't cry anymore, okay?"

The little girl cried for a long time and began to hiccup, "Hiccup...Okay..."

Gu's mother was serving dishes in the kitchen, and the third sister came out to explain to Gu's mother. Gu's mother said to her, "You are the one who owes the favor, not Xue'er. You took Xue'er's clothes..."

"The child had never worn new clothes before, so my aunt made two sets for him to wear. Not only clothes, but also underwear and panties. She also gave him a bath with soap."

"Old Third, remember this kind of thing. Help Xiao He take care of the child more, or do something else. You don't have to return the clothes you made for the child."

"Think about it yourself. Does Xiao He need those two pieces of cloth? Or is she really saving them for the children to wear when they grow up? That's the good intention of the aunt. She loves the children. Don't you understand?"

"You really are completely incompetent." Mother Gu shook her head.

"You need to return the clothes. I told you this this morning. The clothes are ready. You returned them and made your daughter cry."

Gu's mother is really something. She and her husband are not that stupid. They were fine with the eldest, second and fourth children, but why is he like this with the third child?

Third sister Gu was stunned by the scolding from her mother. It was just a matter of a piece of clothing, why made such a fuss about it? She just felt embarrassed.

How come she is wrong?

She shook her head and went back to the house to eat.

At the dinner table, Gu's mother cooked an egg. She listened to Su He and cooked it for her granddaughter Xueer.

"Xue'er, eat the eggs." Mother Gu gave her the eggs.

But before the egg even reached Xue'er's hands, Third Sister Gu snatched it away, "Mom, why don't you eat Xue'er's eggs? Give them to Xiaohe."

Then he put it in Su He's bowl.

Suho, "............"

She took the egg, peeled it, called Xue'er over, and fed her mouthful by mouthful. Then she said to Sister Gu,

"Third sister, I told mom to cook an egg for Xue'er every day. She's too thin and needs more nutrition."

Third sister Gu was embarrassed again, because she thought it was Gu's mother who decided to give the food to Xue'er.

Su He could also understand what Third Sister Gu was thinking. Even if Mother Gu cooked it herself, could she still get angry with Mother Gu over an egg? This was the image of her in Third Sister Gu's mind.

Her third aunt was so timid and frightened that she never said anything.

There's really no need to do this.

If outsiders were to look at this, they would think that her daughter-in-law had gone crazy, which made her aunt terrified. The child didn't even have the right to eat an egg.

How wronged she is!

In response to this, Mother Gu rolled her eyes at Sister Gu, saying that this third daughter of hers was really weird. She was eating well when she first arrived.

Third sister Gu rubbed her hands. She was also afraid that Mother Gu would take the initiative to let her daughter eat eggs, which would make her sister-in-law angry or she would overthink things.

The ladies in the team said that even though her sister-in-law is doing fine now, she will become unwilling after a while.

She thought about it and it made sense. He even quarreled with his own mother! How could there be no conflicts after living with his sister-in-law for a long time?

So she thought, do more work, take less, and try not to make her sister-in-law annoyed with her.

Little girl Gu Xueer didn't notice her mother's embarrassment. She said to Su He, "Aunt, the eggs are really delicious."

Su He wiped the egg yolk crumbs from the little girl's lips.

"Eat it every day from now on."