Sigh, I walked to my front door with a heavy heart. Before I could even push the door open, it opened by itself. It was Er Ya. She jumped up and down, clapping her hands and saying, "Da Hei is so great! We didn't hear anything, but it kept barking to remind me that someone was outside. Turns out, there really was someone outside."
Lin Jianguo patted his daughter's head, took her hand, and led her to the main room for dinner. Jiang's mother looked up and saw it was him returning.
"You're back! Go wash your hands and eat. Er Ya was saying she was hungry and has been waiting for you. Didn't I tell you to come back right after you delivered the things?"
I stir-fried the leftover pig's heart with chili peppers, steamed an egg custard for Er Ya, cooked some porridge, and heated up a few steamed buns made from a mixture of wheat and water. The whole family gathered around and ate a lively meal together.
Big Black was hiding under the table, waiting for Er Ya to sneak a piece of meat to feed it from time to time. Lin Jianguo and Jiang's mother saw it but pretended not to, not wanting to upset their daughter over such a small matter.
After dinner, she fed everyone in the household who needed to be fed. After putting Er Ya to sleep, Jiang's mother, who was exhausted from the day, had just lain down on the bed when she saw her husband looking hesitant, as if he wanted to say something but didn't dare to open his mouth.
Jiang's mother, who couldn't stand him like this, slapped him: "Just say what you want to say. What are you being so coy about? Can't you act like a grown man?"
Lin Jianguo really didn't know how to bring it up. If he didn't say anything, he was afraid that with his mother's personality, if he didn't get a reply by tomorrow, she would definitely run to his wife and tell her herself.
After hesitating for a long time, he finally spoke: "Honey, please don't be angry. You've already been angry once today, so you can't hurt yourself by getting angry again."
"Say whatever you want to say, I'm not angry."
Lin Jianguo said in a low voice, "It was when I brought meat to my mother that she asked me, 'You work at a restaurant, how much do you get paid a month?'"
Upon hearing this, Jiang's mother raised her voice: "What? You told her? How can you be so stubborn?"
Lin Jianguo quickly waved his hand: "No, no, I didn't tell her it was fifty a month. I just said that I would give you one yuan a day for helping out for a few days."
Jiang's mother was relieved to hear this. She thought he had some shrewdness this time. If Old Mrs. Shen knew that she could earn so much money in a month, she would definitely try to make a fuss and ask her for money.
"Then what's so hard about you to say? You've been hesitating for so long without saying anything. I was wondering what was wrong."
Lin Jianguo said embarrassedly, "No, it's because Mom told you to focus on your work and not to worry about the people in the village. If anyone talks badly about you, she'll fight them for you."
"That's a good thing. Wait, didn't she just tell me to quit my job tomorrow? How come she changed her mind and is telling me to go back to work now?"
"Mom said she'll teach those people a lesson for you, then you can go to work without worry. When you get your salary, give her twenty dollars, and she'll save it for us." Lin Jianguo finally mustered up the courage to say it all, secretly watching Jiang's mother's reaction.
Upon hearing this, Jiang's mother was so angry that she stopped lying in bed, stood up, and walked around saying, "How could she have the nerve to do that? I thought she considered me family because she helped me fight today, and I even had you send over a few pounds of meat!"
She's really audacious. Twenty yuan a month? Why doesn't she just rob us? She talks a good game about saving it up for us, but in the end it all goes to the eldest son's family. What's the difference between that and open robbery? Did you agree to her offer?
If you agree to her request, I'll take Er Ya back to my parents' house tomorrow, and we'll go to the city tomorrow afternoon to get a divorce. I've had enough of this life."
Lin Jianguo quickly hugged Jiang's mother, helped her sit down slowly, and patted her back to calm her down: "Look at you, I just told you not to get angry, be careful of the child. I definitely won't agree to your mother's request. I told you this because I was afraid that if your mother came to you tomorrow, you wouldn't have time to react. Don't keep talking about divorce. Who talks about divorce all the time?"
Jiang's mother glared at him: "Isn't it because your mother has gone too far time and time again? Before we separated the family, it was one thing for you to give her all the money you earned, but now that we've finally separated and can live our own lives, she still wants to give it to her. How can she have the nerve to say such a thing?"
"Alright, alright, I've gone too far this time. We'll all go to town first thing tomorrow morning, have something to eat there, and tell Xiao Lu to quit this job. You can stay home and rest well during your pregnancy. You can leave the money-making work to your husbands."
As he was massaging her shoulders, his hands started to wander. Jiang's mother gave him a shy glare, but then let him be. Ever since she became pregnant, she had been afraid of hurting the baby and had made him hold back. Now that things were stable, she decided to let him be... Imagine the following scene yourself.
The next day, before dawn, the whole family got up, tidied themselves up quickly, fed the pigs, and then took an oxcart to the town.
After waiting at home all night, Grandma Shen saw that Lin Jianguo had not come by dawn. She stopped cooking, handed the spatula to Niu Shi, took off her apron, and headed towards Lin Jianguo's house.
Niu Shi was left grumbling as she cooked, occasionally sneaking a bite of the food, and scolding Daya for focusing on the fire, saying the fire was about to go out and when the meat would be cooked!
Grandma Shen jogged all the way to Lin Jian's house, only to find the gate locked. She called and banged for a long time, but no one came out. Li Taohua, who was standing next to her, came out and saw that it was Grandma Shen. She called out, "Auntie, Er Ya and her family left early this morning. They probably went to town."
Old Mrs. Shen was so angry she was practically stuffed. She grumbled all the way home. Dinner was already cooked, but when she looked at the table, she realized she'd cut more than a dozen slices of meat, and now only four or five were left. She glared at Mrs. Niu and Daya:
"You guys stole some meat, didn't you? I know exactly how much I cut off. Look how many slices are left. You're not eating today, get back to work."
Since Niu had already eaten her fill, she pouted, swayed her hips, and left. Daya, with tears in her eyes, said, "Grandma, I didn't steal any food. Mother didn't give me a single bite. Please let me eat, I beg you."
“She’s your mother, she won’t let you eat. Hurry up and get to work. If you dawdle any longer, you’ll be in for a beating.”
Daya was washing clothes, tears streaming down her face. She envied Erya; although her grandmother treated her badly too, Erya had the love of her parents. Unlike her, her parents only cared about her brother and never paid any attention to her. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She threw the clothes down, then felt a sharp pain on her head. It turned out that Old Lady Shen had arrived.
"Who are you trying to bully? You think you're all grown up now? If you're not happy, then get out. I don't want another freeloader in the family."
To be continued!
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