Chapter 196: The barking dog that bites
On the fourth day of the New Year, Lu Minghai's house became lively, as if they had made an appointment. Just after breakfast, the sisters Lu Chunyan and Lu Chunmei came back one after another with their husband and children.
Lu Chunyan is the eldest, already in her thirties, and Lu Chunmei is twenty-eight. Both sisters were married when they were eighteen or nineteen, not far from home, in Xihe Brigade, one in Hujiawan and the other in Wangjialiang. But after they got married, they rarely came home more than twice a year, unless there was something important going on at home or they came here to pay New Year's greetings after the Lunar New Year.
Lu Chunyan's family of three came with her. Besides her husband Li Zhongquan, there was also her youngest child, Li Guangming, who was only six years old this year. They were very well taken care of. The adults were pale and thin, but the child was well-fed and healthy. The house was very clean and tidy, and it was a pleasant sight to see.
There were four people in Lu Chunmei's family, including her husband Wang Guoxing and two children. The older one was only nine years old and was named Wang Changshun, and the younger one was five years old and was named Wang Duoduo.
With so many people coming at once, the Lu family yard suddenly became lively.
Lu Dongfu and Lu Donglin were running around with their three children, while Lu Chunyan and Lu Chunmei were vying to hold Chuyi and chat with Gao Xiulan.
Li Guangming and Wang Guoxing, the two sons-in-law, naturally surrounded their brother-in-law and father-in-law, saying that it was a rare opportunity for them to come over and they wanted to help chop firewood in the mountains for a day. Lu Minghai refused, but later he couldn't persuade them anymore and took them to the private plot together with Lu Dongcai.
Anyway, the land needs to be cleared in the next few days, so we might as well do it today. It will be easier with more people, and it will only take about noon.
The two sisters-in-law came back to their parents' home. With so many people around, Li Laiying finally calmed down and helped greet them outside.
The two sisters came back in the autumn of the previous year when Lu Dongping held a wedding banquet. They didn't know much about the family situation, but they knew that Lu Dongcai had a girl who was being raised by their mother.
Gao Xiulan, fearing she'd miss out on her mother's milk on the first day of the new year, nurtured her with meticulous care. She'd also been doing well, having had no problems for the past few months. Her round eyes, with a hint of milk fat, were incredibly adorable. Whenever someone teased her, she'd grin and make an "oh" sound.
Lu Chunyan loves it very much. She gave birth to three sons in a row. The youngest one is six years old now. She really wants to have a daughter, but there has been no movement in her belly in the past few years.
"What a treasure! If it weren't so small, I'd really like to get it and live with it for a while."
While she was holding the child, Gao Xiulan had some free time. She freed her hands to take down a piece of bacon, lit a fire to roast the skin, and then scraped off the burnt part on the outside with a knife to reveal the golden skin inside.
Li Laiying was adding fire to the stove cavity behind the stove.
After hearing what Lu Chunyan said, Gao Xiulan said, "It's only so far away. I'm so busy that I can't come back more than twice a year. You even want to live there for a while. It sounds so easy to say, just like you don't need to take care of your children."
"So, she's too young. It's not that I can't take care of her, but I'm afraid Laiying won't want to let her go, and that she'll think I'm not taking good care of her. I just want a girl. I heard people say that if you can't have a baby, you can get a girl and raise her by your side for a while, and then you can bring her home."
She said it casually, but Li Laiying, who was sitting behind the stove, took it to heart. She reached out and gently touched her belly, then glanced warily at Chuyi in her arms, her heart becoming more and more determined. See, it wasn't just her who said that. Even her sister-in-law said that having a girl would really result in a girl. She wanted a boy, so she had to stay away.
Gao Xiulan didn't believe what she said. "Who are you listening to? Giving birth to a boy or a girl is all determined by fate. If it's destined to happen, it will happen. If it's not destined to happen, don't force it. Some people want to have a son but can't. You already have three, and you want a daughter. Don't be greedy, be content."
Li Laiying always felt that she was talking about herself when she saw some people who wanted to have a son but couldn't.
Lu Chunmei said, "That's right, I think you need to be more open-minded, big sister. Three sons is really enough. No matter how caring a daughter is, she'll have her own family when she grows up, just like a son. Once she gets married, she'll have to be comfortable before she'll have the energy to be close to you. If she's not comfortable, she'll come back to tear your heart out."
As she spoke, Gao Xiulan washed the meat and also washed a few ribs and put them in the pot to cook together.
She covered the pot, wiped her hands and then took Chuyi over: "Go outside, it's sunny outside, what are you doing staying indoors in the hot sun?"
?
After she went outside, she asked, "Were your uncle and aunt home when you came to the door? Did you greet them?"
Lu Chunmei said, "I didn't see Third Uncle and Third Aunt, but I saw Dongping's wife at the door and she said a few words. Donglin's child said Third Uncle and his family were in their private plot, doing the same work as we did today."
Gao Xiulan said, "The private plot is right next to our home. Go for a walk. When you come back, you should always go over and say hello. Then tell Wanwan not to cook later and come over to eat with us. It will be more lively when there are more people."
"He might not come even if you call him!"
"You should at least call out and show some respect. You two gave your uncle and aunt a lot of trouble when you were little."
Lu Chunyan said, "We're all leaving in a flash, why don't we call Laiying?"
Gao Xiulan stopped by the grinding table, and Lu Chunmei took Chuyi over. She said, "You can't invite her. She's pregnant again. If you two hadn't come back, she wouldn't even want to leave the house. She treats herself like a treasure and is afraid of getting hurt."
Lu Chunmei was stunned for a moment: "Why do you say that? I see she is not much different from before, a little shy and quiet."
"Hmph!" Gao Xiulan snorted coldly, "That's not being shy at all, that's like a barking dog that bites!"
Just as he finished speaking, Lu Donglin came running over from that direction with a smile on his face like a gust of wind, and several little ones followed him closely, making noise and shouting.
Lu Chunmei shouted, "Shunzi, please watch your sister. Why are you running so fast?"
Wang Changshun responded and ran back to the yard, while his mother continued to nag.
Gao Xiulan had been holding it in for months, and now that her daughter was finally home, she had a place to pour out her grievances. She had to tell them all about the mess at home in detail. Even though it was pointless to talk about it, it made her feel better.
Lu Chunmei was dumbfounded. "This... there are people like this. Even a tiger won't eat its own cubs! I never expected that. I used to think she was very hardworking and honest. Her family was poor, so she must have been a good worker. But after giving birth to this child, she turned out like this?"
"It's hard to judge a person clearly. You can only know a person's face but not his heart. I guess she was just pretending before. Seeing Dongcai was honest, she pretended to coax him to help her escape from the Li family's den of wolves. After coming here, she was stable for two years, but as soon as she got pregnant, she thought her life was stable here and her true colors showed. It's a good thing she gave birth to a girl on the first day. If she really gave birth to a boy, it would be a disaster. Mom, I'm telling you, you have to be tough on this matter. I don't mean to meddle in other people's business and stir up discord in the family. You have to control her temper. Dongcai is too honest and can't be controlled. Without someone to control her, I think she will really go to heaven."
As soon as he finished speaking, he heard the heart-wrenching cry of a child and Li Laiying's voice.
"It's Duoduo, let me see how it's done."
Lu Chunmei stuffed Chuyi into Gao Xiulan's arms and ran back. When she rushed into the yard, she saw Li Laiying sitting on the ground, holding her stomach with a pale face. Wang Changshun held Wang Duoduo tightly, protecting her behind him, staring at Li Laiying with his eyes, trembling all over.
"What's going on? Didn't Shunzi ask you to look after your sister? What's going on?"
Before Wang Changshun could say anything, Li Laiying started crying: "What's going on? Ask him what's going on? He pushed me. My stomach hurts!"
When she woke up in the morning, she felt a little uncomfortable, her lower body was not clean. She didn't want to go out, but relatives came to visit, and it was not convenient to stay in the house all the time. Suddenly, someone pushed her buttocks to squat, and she felt a wave of heat coming out all of a sudden. Her stomach hurt so much that it kept getting worse.
Lu Chunmei was so scared that she raised her hand and called Wang Changshun twice: "Little beast, that's your aunt, why did you push her?"
Wang Changshun burst into tears: "She pushed Duoduo first, and Duoduo fell down."
Lu Donglin was also furious and said, "That's right, she deserved it. Duoduo called her aunt, but she pushed her aside like she was avoiding the plague, knocking her down in an instant. Otherwise, why would Shunzi push her?"
Li Guangming also nodded and said "hmm".
Lu Chunyan wanted to curse, but seeing the mess, she had no choice but to help Li Laiying. "Hurry up, get up, get up and lie down on the bed for a while."
I know she's pregnant again, but women in the mountains are tough, and no one thinks that just falling down and squatting on her butt will be a big deal.
Li Laiying screamed as if she was about to give birth, but Lu Chunmei didn't buy her tricks. She walked over and pulled Lu Chunyan over, forcing her to squat down with her hands on her belly. "Scream, scream as hard as you can. Let me see if you are so squeamish that you will have a miscarriage just by sitting. Where can I find a vicious woman like you? You don't want your own daughter, and you treat your relatives' children like this. I come back several times a year. This is my own home after all, and you don't treat me like this. Duoduo is only three years old, and she knows that you are her aunt, and you still go to dig her up. If the child falls down, Li Laiying, I tell you, even if the child in your belly is gone now, you can't afford to compensate me!"
Li Laiying was crying: "You knew I was pregnant, but you didn't take good care of the child. I'll dig her out. If she doesn't run to me, I can dig her out. I want to give birth to a son. I'm carrying the Lu family's son. If I lose him, can you afford to compensate me?"
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