Chapter 132 A quarrel broke out
Lu Dongcai chose his wife himself, and he was very satisfied with her. She was quiet, but hardworking and honest.
But when it comes to living, it's not enough to be diligent and honest. You have to be able to handle things and have a broad mind and a broad vision.
Lu Dongcai had married two years earlier, following the local customs of Lujiazui: if you could live in a house, you wouldn't rebuild. The family's income was based on the extra work points they earned at the end of the year, which wasn't enough to cover salt, kerosene, matches, and even daily necessities.
Lu Dongcheng does send money back every month, but Gao Xiulan and Lu Minghai know everything. All three sons are the same, so there is no reason to use the eldest son's money to marry the second son.
They are a little poor at home, but Lu Dongcheng is alone outside. This little money was earned with blood and tears, and cannot be spent indiscriminately.
When Li Laiying married Lu Dongcai, Gao Xiulan gave them four feet of cloth and two pounds of meat based on their family situation, which was considered a generous betrothal gift.
They also gave her a new quilt and a large red-painted wooden box, which was considered a very formal way of marrying her.
Everything was generally fine after they got married, but things started to go wrong when Lu Dongcheng and Shengxia came back to get married.
Gao Xiulan didn't notice it at first, but a person's emotions will change over time. Gao Xiulan is not stupid, so how could she not see it after a long time?
She didn't give Shengxia much, just the same four-foot cloth coupons, a quilt, and a box. The rest was bought by the two of them themselves. The money for building the house was also sent by Lu Dongcheng.
She had said it very clearly in front of her son and daughter-in-law, but once a person gets stuck in a dead end, what's the point of others saying it clearly?
Seeing that Lu Dongcheng and Shengxia were living in a new house and wearing new clothes after their wedding, and it was a lively occasion, it made sense to make a comparison.
Forget about comparing yourself to the two of them. After all, they didn't stay at home for long and left after the New Year. No one knew when they would be back, but after a while, I guess I felt a bit better. Not long after that, Lu Dongping and Wen Wan got married again, and it was a grand wedding. I started to get jealous again.
Gao Xiulan prepared everything she needed to prepare for giving birth, but she was unhappy and started to argue with Lu Dongcai in the house in a roundabout way.
To maintain family harmony, Gao Xiulan gave her another four feet of cloth coupons and two yuan. Not to mention the money, the cloth was sent back by Lu Dongcheng from the army the year before. She had originally planned to pool the money and see if she could make a coat by the end of the year.
The cloth coupons and money were given, which was quite practical. She used them all at the supply and marketing cooperative. Gao Xiulan also saw the cloth she got, and found it was indeed very soft, perfect for making clothes for the newborn baby.
But she just felt uncomfortable.
They were mountain people, and mountain people lived their lives the way they did. Back then, not only were babies born, but even when they were fifteen or sixteen, they wouldn't necessarily get new clothes. Newborns were wrapped in old clothes, and their appearance changed every day. There wasn't enough cloth to waste.
Even in the city, it is impossible to renovate a house from the inside out after giving birth to a child.
So, when making clothes again, Li Laiying said she could do it, so she let it go. She felt uncomfortable and didn't bother to care about it. Even though she knew Li Laiying didn't have the skills, she didn't want to take over the job.
Who knew that this could cause such trouble?
Cry, what are you crying for!
She can't say anything because her daughter-in-law is pregnant, but she can't scold her son because he is her own?
One glance at the small dress in Lu Dongcai's hand told her that Li Laiying hadn't made it herself. She started to complain, "She doesn't understand, and you don't know either? That woman's belly is only this big. How much stuff can she hold in it?"
Do you have a number? Lu Dongcai felt so wronged. He was not a woman and could not give birth to a child, so how could he have a number?
"Mom, can you give me a definite answer before you scold me, okay?"
"What kind of definite answers do you want? Your head is full of rice bran, isn't it? A newborn baby weighs about five or six pounds. If it doesn't grow well, it will only weigh three or four pounds at most. You may not have seen a human, but you have seen pork. Five or six pounds is a huge lump. Do you think it can fit in? I also changed my clothes twice in heaven. Didn't I show them to your wife? Even after seeing it, you still don't know how to count. Who are you crying and wiping your tears for?"
Lu Dongcai muttered, "She's pregnant! I heard people say that pregnant women tend to be more emotional than usual, and have lots of random thoughts!"
Gao Xiulan sneered, "You're talking like I've never given birth. I gave birth to the five of you, and each of you was busy doing whatever you had to do. The whole family, young and old, were waiting for food and drink. If I had been waiting all day and night to coax you all out, you would have starved to death. How could you be here now? Every day you're full and have nothing to do, so you're just daydreaming. You're just idle. Tomorrow you have to go to work, so get out to work in the fields. You're just sitting around and your brains are going crazy."
"Mom, she's almost seven months pregnant. How can she go to work with such a big belly?"
"What's wrong? Is she the only precious one among all the women in the team? She said she needed to rest for the first three months to take care of the pregnancy, then she needed to rest because she was nauseous and couldn't eat, and then she needed to rest again when she stopped vomiting and her belly got bigger. I'm not marrying a daughter-in-law, I'm looking for an ancestor for myself."
The yard was so small and Gao Xiulan's voice was so loud, how could Li Laiying not hear it in the house? This time she really cried, gasping for breath, tears streaming down her face.
Gao Xiulan wanted her to hear this: "People from the mountains are people from the mountains. Our family is so poor. Anyone who can breathe has to work. Who is waiting for me to serve me? I need someone to serve me! Who can't work when they are pregnant? Only your wife is a human being. Everyone else is just a beast of burden, there for you to use."
"Mom, what's wrong with you? I just asked about the size of a piece of clothing. Why are you so angry? Laiying doesn't work in the fields, and she doesn't slack off at home. She has a lot of housework to do, and she does it all when we're too busy."
Gao Xiulan was angry: "Yes, you are right. You are not lazy, I am the only one who is lazy, okay? You are all idle at home in the hot summer, not going to work, just picking some pig grass to feed two pigs. I asked any of you to interfere with the two meals a day? You are so sullen even when eating. Did I owe you or lack you in my previous life? Lu Dongcai, go out and ask around. Which woman in the team doesn't work when she is pregnant? Which family specially buys new cloth to make new clothes after giving birth? How many days does it take for a child to be born? It's the same thing. One is finished and the other is too small before it's even worn. Everyone is raised by making do, but you think your child is so precious? I have spent most of my life with your father. How many clothes have I made for you all? How many sets of clothes have you made for all of you? Don't you know what our family conditions are like? You keep saying that you suffered when you were a child and never had new clothes, and you can't let your children be like you. It's a good idea, but you need to have the ability to do that. You don't even know your own weight, and you are jealous of others and are being picky.
"I gave him the cloth coupons. He's my grandson after all, so even if I wasted it, it wouldn't be on someone else. You said you were going to make clothes for your child, but then you turned around and went to find someone else. You didn't even feel good about it, and you came back crying over such a trivial matter. I'm not dead yet, so there's no need for people to mourn me all day long!"
She felt that she was too easy to talk to, and that she was treated like a piece of clay, and she kept pushing it. Other families had several daughters-in-law living under one roof, and they didn't dare to break any rules, but she had only one daughter-in-law, and she was always making trouble.
The two houses were separated by a wall. She was shouting in the yard, and even though Lu Dongping and the others couldn't hear clearly, they could feel that something was wrong.
It was almost dark when they finished cleaning up their private plot. Then they came home. When Gao Xiulan was scolding Lu Dongcai, the family was sitting under the eaves eating with their bowls in their hands. Gao Xiulan's voice came over.
Zhang Hongying lifted her bowl and glanced over there, then said to Lu Mingjiang, "What are you doing, sister-in-law? It's like you're arguing with someone."
Lu Mingjiang said, "Who knows? Why don't you take the bowl and go over and take a look?"
Zhang Hongying actually stood up and took the bowl over.
As soon as they reached the entrance of the yard, a commotion broke out. Li Laiying came out of the house and leaned against the pillar, crying bitterly: "Mom, Dongcai, stop arguing. I was wrong. I shouldn't have asked Mom for tickets or money. Mom's things, who she wants to give them to is her own business. Tomorrow -"
It would have been fine if she hadn't said anything, but as soon as she opened her mouth, Gao Xiulan was filled with anger: "That's right, it's absolutely true. My money and my tickets were all given by Dongcheng. It's only natural for him to respect his father and mother. Could it be that he has to take care of his brother's wife and nephew as well? Li Laiying, you have been in this family for two years. Ask yourself, what have I done wrong to you? When I gave you the gift, I gave you four feet of cloth and two pounds of meat. You kept the meat and the cloth at your parents' home. You came to the Lu family in rags. Didn't I treat you decently? "It's obvious that you don't give yourself face! When you were with Dongcai, you didn't bring a single thing with you. Everything you ate and used was given by the Lu family. We used to think you were a good person, but once you got pregnant, you started acting up. You couldn't work in the fields, and you didn't like the food. You couldn't wear your own clothes because of your big belly, so you weren't happy even if you had to put up with Dongcai's clothes. You cry and have a sullen face all day long. Who did you learn this from? If you have the heart to eat shit, you have to have the life to eat shit!"
"Mom!" Lu Dongcai yelled, "Can you please be quiet? She's pregnant. It's just a small matter. Can't you just talk it over calmly instead of making such a fuss?"
"Talk nicely, what the hell! Is the child born to me, Gao Xiulan, or what? I'm busy all day and still have to look after your faces when I come back. Did I owe you money in my previous life and still not pay it back?"
Zhang Hongying turned around, placed the bowl on the millstone, and went into the yard, calling out, "Sister-in-law, what are you doing? I need your help with something."
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