The next day, Grandma Wang, accompanied by three little girls, knocked on the door of the Yan family. Grandma Yan, seeing Grandma Wang's embarrassed expression, already had some guesses in her mind, but since the other party didn't bring it up, she couldn't say it first.
Sure enough, Grandma Wang took out a handkerchief package. When she opened it, she found it contained Wang Daniu's birth date and time. She handed the paper to Grandma Yan and said with difficulty, "The child's father wants your Beinan to marry Daniu. Since the child is still young, she can come to your family as a child bride, just like Xuemei, is that alright?"
Grandma Yan originally thought the Wang family had come to borrow grain or money, but she never expected that they had such a scheme. How could that be allowed? Grandma Yan didn't even glance at the piece of paper, let alone take it.
Grandma Wang, feeling a little embarrassed, could only wrap her hand up again and said, "Sister Yan, Da Niu's father said that it's fine if she doesn't want to get married, but he'll ask your family to lend him 100 catties of grain and 50 yuan."
Grandma Yan was startled. "A hundred catties of grain, and fifty yuan? How can you say such things?" Cuihua, standing nearby, clicked her tongue in amazement. "With a little more money, you could marry a wife with all that. The Wang family has quite the appetite."
Before the two could speak, the three little girls knelt down in front of them, kowtowing repeatedly and crying with tears and snot streaming down their faces. "Grandma Yan, Aunt Cuihua, if we don't take the grain back today, my father will kick us all out. Please, have mercy and give us some grain."
Grandma Yan's face turned completely cold: "Wang family girl, haven't I been good to your family? What do you mean by this? Are you trying to extort money from my family?"
Grandma Wang's face flushed red. It was indeed someone trying to extort money from them. Her son had said that Da Niu only wanted to go out because she liked Bei Nan, which led to her being scolded by her mother and having water splashed on her. So, even when she was sick, the Yan family had to pay for her food and money.
If the Yan family can take Da Niu over, they should give the family 200 jin of grain and 100 yuan; otherwise, they should give the family 100 jin of grain and 50 yuan as compensation.
Grandma Yan laughed in anger. "There are still such things as forced sales in the world? My Bei Nan is so young, and you've already set your sights on him. How wonderful, how wonderful!"
He asked Xuemei to fetch ten catties of cornmeal from her room, and then took out fifty cents from the pocket of her own clothes, and handed them to Grandma Wang: "Sister Wang, this is the last time I will help your family. From now on, our two families should have no further dealings. It seems that your eldest daughter's ingrate is hereditary."
These words made Grandma Wang and the three little girls on the ground feel extremely embarrassed. Already feeling ashamed, they quickly picked up the grain and money and left.
Grandma Yan was a little sad, but she knew very well that the two families would be enemies from now on. Alas, it's true that a small favor can breed a great grudge. She felt more disappointed than anything else, disappointed in people's hearts. She muttered to herself, "The Wang family already holds a grudge against our family, and they hold a grudge against Bei Nan."
Cuihua was confused. Her family provided her with food and money. Instead of being grateful, why was she holding a grudge? And what did it have to do with Beinan? Why would she hold a grudge against Beinan? Was she out of her mind?
Grandma Yan didn't answer, but Yan Xiaonan heard everything clearly. In this era when every household was short of food, their large amount of grain would definitely attract the attention of others, and their family was already in danger.
That Wang Danu only ate a large meat bun by herself, yet she still managed to incite public outrage. If we don't handle all this grain properly, it will definitely lead to disaster.
Yan Xiaonan sighed inwardly. With his own supernatural ability at hand, he wasn't worried about not having enough to eat. He decided to give away his wealth. Looking at his grandmother, he said in a serious tone, "Grandma, borrow grain, borrow it all."
Grandma Yan was stunned for a moment, then she completely understood what her granddaughter meant. It was only the beginning of May, spring plowing had just ended, and there were still nearly half a year before the autumn harvest.
In Mushroom Village, besides the cornmeal they bought from their own homes last time, every household has to eat, dig for wild vegetables, fish, and pick pine cones in the mountains, and wait for the grain station in town to deliver food.
Even if sweet potatoes can be planted next month, they won't be ripe until October. How are we going to get through those long five months? Everyone knows we have food. If we don't share it, we'll definitely become the enemy of the entire Mushroom Village. Thinking about this, I broke out in a cold sweat.
Seeing her mother's pale face, Cuihua cried out anxiously, "Mother, Mother, are you alright?" Her cries brought Yan Xiaoqiang, who was tending the vegetable garden in the backyard, inside.
Grandma Yan closed her eyes and said, "Gangzi, tomorrow you and Dongnan will send a hundred catties of cornmeal to your father-in-law's house in a big way. Tell your father-in-law that this grain is meant to last until the autumn harvest, so he must be careful with it, because my family is out of grain."
"Cuihua, take Beinan to town tomorrow and sell all the chicks you brought back today. You can sell them for anything. We can't keep them at home for the time being."
“Southwest, have your village chief come to my house tomorrow to see if the land has been approved. If it has, we’ll start building the house. Have your village chief find people. We’ll provide lunch every day and pay them one cent a day for their labor.”
Watching her grandmother methodically arrange everyone's lives, Yan Xiaonan was filled with admiration. "Having an elder in the family is like having a treasure," the ancients were right.
As dawn broke, Xuemei went to the kitchen and made a thick rice porridge, baked more than twenty pancakes, filled several bamboo tubes with cooled boiled water, and packed ten pancakes and three bamboo tubes of water for Dongnan, which was their lunch.
I also gave Cuihua and Beinan six extra cakes and two bamboo tubes of cooled boiled water, so they could eat breakfast and then go out and come back early.
Yan Xiaoqiang opened the door to the main room, and there were five more fat rabbits at the door. Did the old wolf bring rabbits to feed the wolf cubs every day? That would be great; he wouldn't have to worry about the wolf cubs' food anymore.
Yan Xiaoqiang happily brought the rabbit into the main room and asked Grandma Yan what to do with it.
Grandma Yan thought for a moment and decided to keep two for Zhongnan and give the rest to your father-in-law.
Cuihua was moved to tears. Her mother was so good, her husband was so good, her son and daughter-in-law were so good, and Nannan was the best. She was a lucky person to be able to marry into such a good family. She was content.
After breakfast, Cuihua took some dry food and water, while Beinan carried a basket full of chicks on his back and went to town. If all went well, they would be back by noon.
Yan Xiaoqiang went to his third uncle's house to borrow a cow. He told his third uncle that his father-in-law's family had been without food for three days and that he wanted to send a bag of cornmeal over. Seeing that his third uncle was a little hesitant, he sent two catties of cornmeal as payment.
Uncle San couldn't bear to see the ox suffer, but he desperately needed the cornmeal. So, he made a tough decision, handed the whip to Yan Xiaoqiang, and repeatedly told him to let the old ox rest more and not to rush on the road.
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