He recalled how his mother treated Shuiqing, and then looked at how his mother-in-law treated him, feeling even more guilty.
When distributing food, the mother would only give the best to her eldest son and grandson, never thinking of her daughter-in-law and granddaughter, considering them as outsiders, and that giving them food or the best food was a loss for her.
But isn't he an outsider to his mother-in-law?
His children, who are already grandchildren, are always given the best food and drinks by his mother-in-law and brother-in-law.
Their thinking was very simple: that was Shuiqing's child, and being good to the child was being good to their daughter.
He is his daughter's husband. If you treat him well, he will treat their daughter well.
"Brother-in-law, you eat with the kids, okay? If we all go out, the kids might get restless and want to go out too," Hu Wenhua said casually, without suspecting anything.
Fan Jin gave a soft "hmm" and slowly sat down.
Hu's mother was very pleased.
He told them again to eat whatever they wanted, as there was more in the kitchen, and then carried the steamed buns to the yard with Hu Wenhua.
In the courtyard, Shuiqing had already set up a small table and moved in a few chairs.
First, Hu's mother put down the bamboo basket containing the buns, then went to the kitchen to scoop out some egg drop soup and brought it out.
They didn't bring an extra bowl to eat the steamed buns; they held the buns in one hand and the egg drop soup in the other, and ate them heartily with the egg drop soup.
"Mom, today's feast is even more lavish than the New Year!" Hu Wenhua exclaimed with satisfaction after taking a big gulp of egg drop soup and a big bite of spicy tofu bun.
"It's all thanks to your sister and brother-in-law that they brought back so much flour," Mrs. Hu said with a smile.
Seeing that Shuiqing was also eating tofu buns, she picked up a cabbage and pork bun and handed it to her: "Eat this."
Shui Qing made the buns together, and you could tell that she didn't really like the cabbage and pork filling. She casually said, "Give them to my little brother."
“Your father is a butcher, would he deprive your brother of a single bite of meat? You’re away from home, so eat more when you come back.” Hu’s mother shoved the buns into her daughter’s hands without a second thought.
She could take care of her son-in-law and grandson, but the one in front of her was her own flesh and blood. She whispered, "I saved these for you. There are many, enough for you to eat."
Shuiqing finally understood that Hu's mother was saving the best for her!
Her nose felt a little sore, and she lowered her head, asking instead, "Mother, when is Father coming back for dinner?"
"Your brother checked when he went to the market; there's still a lot of pork left. He probably won't be back until very late today."
"Don't worry, I've kept your dad's portion warm in the steamer. Your brother can take it over after we finish eating," Mrs. Hu said casually.
"Why is there still so much left?" Shui Qing asked with concern, as she wasn't very knowledgeable about pork prices.
Hu's mother patted her daughter's hand to reassure her: "Sigh, the busy farming season is over."
Farmers couldn't even afford to buy meat to supplement their diet; most households reduced their meals from three times a day to two, and their food went from dry to semi-dry and semi-liquid. It was common for meat to be hard to sell.
Shui Qing gave a soft "hmm".
He was thinking of a way to help his father and brother.
Doing manual labor is not a long-term solution for Wenhua.
She needs to have a legitimate way of making money...
After the whole family happily finished eating the big meat buns, Fan Jin turned around and went back to the market to buy some fruit trees, which he then secured on the oxcart.
"What is this?" Mrs. Hu asked from the side.
While tying the fruit tree saplings with hemp rope, Fan Jin patiently replied, "Shuiqing asked me to buy them. She said they would bear fruit in less than two years, and eating fruit is good for your health."
“Anyway, we have a lot of land there, and it’s just sitting empty anyway. If we plant more fruit trees, at least our own family will have something to eat, right?” Shuiqing added.
In front of her son-in-law, Hu's mother wouldn't say that her daughter was wasting money buying things for her own little family. She just smiled and nodded, "Yes, it's good to have a big place."
Once everything is settled, the family will head back home.
Hu's mother held her daughter's hand, her eyes filled with reluctance.
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