Chapter 156 Things don't happen more than three times. From now on, either he will bow down to me, or I will bow down to him.
(Thanks to Sleepy Pig for casting 6 monthly tickets.)
After driving the horse-drawn carriage all the way home, Li Shiyue went straight to the outhouse as soon as she got out of bed.
Just as Li's mother was about to say something to her, she saw Li Shiyue dash off into the outhouse.
Li Shiyue's actions amused everyone. Zheng Meiniang smiled and said to Li's mother, "So that's why she was so harsh earlier! Haha!"
Having relieved himself of one of life's three urgent needs—urinating—Li Shiyue emerged from the outhouse with a refreshed expression, only to find that everyone had almost unloaded everything from the cart.
She quickly led the horse that had done so much for the journey to the prefectural city back to the stable, gave it hay and water, carefully checked its hooves, and combed its hair. Only then did Li Shiyue have time to check on her own donkey.
They've been away from home these past few days, so Erdan's mother has been taking care of feeding the donkey.
The fodder is readily available; all we need to do is add it on time.
After tending to the horse, Li Shiyue was just about to pet her donkey, which was braying loudly, when a sound came from the courtyard gate.
When Li Shiyue stuck her head out, the first thing she saw was Erdan, who was wrapped up in layers and looked like a short, stout man.
Erdan's mother was anxiously chasing after him.
"Auntie, you're here?"
After greeting Erdan's mother, Li Shiyue teased Erdan by telling him to call out "Sister" twice and she would give him candy in return.
Erdan's mother didn't come empty-handed; the basket she carried contained radishes and cabbage, which she brought especially because she was worried that the Li family wouldn't have enough vegetables after their return.
However, after exchanging a few words with Li's mother, Erdan's mother pulled Li's mother into the inner room to talk privately, and Erdan's mother also called Li Shiyue along.
Seeing Erdan's mother's posture, Li Shiyue simply called in everyone else who was busy in the kitchen and the yard.
After closing the door, Li Shiyue took off Erdan's outer sweater and helped him onto the kang (a heated brick bed). She then took out all the pastries and candies she had bought in the prefectural city.
"Come on, Auntie, don't be shy, let's eat and talk."
Erdan's mother considered herself and Erdan to be on Li Shiyue's side, and they had already benefited a lot from Li Shiyue's influence. So, she didn't mind having a few snacks and candies, and without any hesitation, she took a piece of snack to eat.
"In October, Sister Chun and Sister Mei, there was quite a commotion in the village while you were away!"
Li Shiyue was genuinely surprised. She and her mother exchanged glances and all looked at Erdan's mother.
"Auntie, how so? Please tell me in detail."
"After you left, didn't everyone start talking about this trade market?"
We've already taken care of this matter, so we haven't talked about it in front of others.
I know, as I said in October, the benefits are something you keep to yourself; there's no need to brag about it to others.
When Li Shiyue met Erdan's mother's admiring gaze, she looked at her incredulously: "Did I say that? When did I say that?"
"Don't interrupt, listen to your aunt."
Erdan's mother smiled at Li's mother, who then grabbed a handful of spiced beans she had bought in the city and gave them to her.
While crunching on beans, Erdan's mother continued, "I didn't say anything, I just left Erdan at home."
Who knew that when Eighth Uncle's daughter-in-law went to Da Zhuang's mother's house to borrow flower patterns, the two of them talked about something in the house. Da Zhuang's mother, being open about things, let slip that she had taken us to the county town to buy land before the New Year in October.
That's how this caused all the commotion.
Before the New Year, the clan was divided into two factions. One faction thought they should listen to the scholar and quickly spend money to buy land, just like what was said in October. They should take the initiative to buy land and build houses, and make money whether they rent it out or do business on their own.
The other side argued that who knows if the news is true or false? Our village is right behind the barbarians, why would we buy land? We should be grateful if we don't save up some money and leave this place sooner.
They've been arguing since before the New Year, and even after the New Year is over, they haven't gotten anything out of each other.
Then, Erdan's mother clicked her tongue before continuing, "It's because the clan already knew that we had bought the land a long time ago. Now that they see that we've already made a move, they're saying that we still need to buy the land."
You just happened to be there. When you were rushing back by train, you ran into Uncle Youfu and his group who were heading to the county.
Eighth Uncle must have been angry and wanted to control Shiyue, which is why he said those nasty things to her.
Li Shiyue nodded and agreed to Erdan's mother's words.
“If they are not of one mind, they cannot gather strength and accomplish anything.”
It's probably because some people here don't want to pay, while others can pay but don't want to be taken advantage of, which is why the land purchase was put on hold from before the new year until the end of the year.
"As a result, they only started to get anxious when they heard that we had already bought the land." Zheng Meiniang's summary made Erdan's mother nod repeatedly: "Sister-in-law Mei really knows how to talk! That's exactly what I meant!"
“There’s something you forgot to mention,” Li Shiyue said, munching on spiced beans as a snack. “I really did run into Brother Shiyang at Grandpa Fu’s door that day. Given Brother Shiyang’s character, he wouldn’t have left Grandpa Fu without telling him I was there.”
Then it can only mean that Grandpa Fu disliked me and deliberately concealed the fact that I had been there from the clan, making the clan think that I didn't care about the clan and had become estranged from it.
Grandpa Fu wants to use everyone's help to make me bow down.
"After all, I've already done it twice," Li Shiyue thought for a moment, "wait, no, including this time, it's been the third time I've disrespected him and let him do as he pleases."
"Grandpa Youfu said that the first time you asked if women could enter when the ancestral hall was being built was the first time?"
"Is this the second time you've dug up a grave and built a cenotaph for your father on the mountain?"
Li Qiutian and Li Xiatian worked together, taking turns to recount the incident that Li Shiyue had mentioned about "disrespecting Li Youfu twice."
Li Shiyue nodded, "Things don't happen more than three times. From now on, either he will bow down to me, or I will bow down to him."
Of course, I would never bow down to him.
As the group was talking, shouts came from outside.
Just by sitting inside and listening to the commotion, Li Shiyue knew that it must be Li Wangshui and Zhou Lanhua's family outside.
Sure enough, once they got down to the ground and opened the door, it was indeed the couple who had come with Dazhuang and Xiaozhuang.
"I've gotten myself into big trouble in October!"
Upon meeting, Zhou Lanhua, with a dejected look on her face, shouted these words at Li Shiyue.
After welcoming the family of four into the house, Zhou Lanhua felt rather awkward when she saw Erdan's mother sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed) cracking spiced beans.
When Erdan's mother saw Zhou Lanhua enter, she quickly swallowed the spiced beans she was chewing. With a slightly embarrassed expression, she called out to Zhou Lanhua, who was standing on the ground, "Lanhua, you're here?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com