With no one else at home, Bai Shiqing had a heart-to-heart talk with Bai Jiaojiao: "Little sister, I know your temper, but as your older sister, I still have to say some harsh things."
"Second sister, you can speak now."
“Although I’ve never been a daughter-in-law, I’ve seen how my sister-in-law does things. Look at her, she’s good at everything, both at home and outside. You’ll have to be diligent in the Shen family too. Even though you don’t have parents-in-law, Shen Heng isn’t someone you can easily get along with. You two are newlyweds, and he may be nice to you now, but he might not always let you have your way in the future!”
Bai Shiqing only said these things recently because her relationship with Bai Jiaojiao has improved.
Although Bai Jiaojiao was confident in Shen Heng, she still agreed in front of Bai Shiqing, saying, "I understand, Second Sister. I will learn from my sister-in-law."
Bai Shiqing felt a little relieved.
"My brother-in-law was here just now, so I didn't dare say anything. Do you know who's been talking about you the most in the village this time?"
"who?"
"Liu Ying! None of those educated youth in the team are any good."
Bai Jiaojiao was not surprised when Bai Shiqing mentioned this name.
Bai Shiqing said indignantly, "She couldn't even do ten jobs a day during the harvest season, and she still had the nerve to talk about others. Those gossipy women too, don't they know what kind of person Liu Ying is? They still believe what she says. But it's good that you're so capable; Liu Ying is probably getting a beating at home right now."
"She's moved in with Yu Wenli now?"
Yu Wenli would never have hit Liu Ying at the educated youth camp.
Bai Shiqing was well-liked by everyone in the village, regardless of age or gender, and she knew everything that was going on: "The village allocated them a small, uninhabited courtyard to stay in temporarily, and they moved there during their vacation these past two days."
"Why was Liu Ying beaten? Just because she spoke ill of me?" Bai Jiaojiao asked, puzzled.
Bai Shiqing came here specifically to tell Bai Jiaojiao this. She sat up straight on the kang (a heated brick bed), her voice filled with excitement: "This time, 20% of the wheat in the village went unharvested, and the village chief has come to them to find someone to take the blame!"
Li Lide's character really hasn't changed at all.
It's not anyone's fault that the wheat harvest can't be completed. He talks about working for the collective, but in reality, he only wants collective honor and doesn't want to take on collective responsibility. When something goes wrong, he has to find someone to take the blame.
Bai Shiqing explained in detail: "During the rush harvest, the two of them couldn't even keep up with one person. When harvesting in the rain, these young laborers didn't show up at all. The brigade leader knew this, so he didn't give them any fried noodles when distributing them, saying that he would give them a demerit soon!"
Bai Jiaojiao was delighted to see them suffer: "Second sister, this is nothing. Just you wait and see, those two will have their bad days."
Bai Shiqing also agreed.
After all, marriages like Yu Wenli and Liu Ying's, which were flawed from the start, rarely end well.
Therefore, Bai Shiqing was also somewhat worried about Bai Jiaojiao.
She felt a little regretful.
If Bai Jiaojiao had been this close to them earlier, no matter what the villagers said, I believe her older brother would never have married her off to Shen Heng.
Thinking this, Bai Shiqing sighed.
"What's wrong, Second Sister?"
"My brother regrets marrying you into this family. If he treats you badly, you should leave him. Our sister-in-law is a good person. You can go back to your parents' home; she won't make things difficult for you."
Bai Shiqing suddenly started to speak ill of Shen Heng. Bai Jiaojiao wanted to speak up for Shen Heng, but she felt that Bai Shiqing wouldn't believe her.
Well, life is about taking it slow and steady, let's see what happens.
"I understand, don't worry, Second Sister."
"But if we can live a good life, we should still live it well."
Bai Shiqing felt that her younger sister was a bit slow on the uptake, and no matter how she instructed her, she couldn't trust her, fearing that she would misunderstand her meaning and cause trouble with Shen Heng at home.
He had come to talk to Bai Jiaojiao to cheer himself up, but instead returned home looking dejected.
Around noon, Shen Heng returned carrying a bucket.
"Your second sister is gone?"
"Hmm, Heng-ge, how many fish did you catch?"
Bai Jiaojiao got off the kang (a heated brick bed) and went to look at the bucket.
"The captain had someone keep an eye on things there. There were only two of us, so they were allowed to catch two fish."
Two large black carp were crowded together in the bucket, constantly waving their fins.
Two are enough!
This carp looks plump and delicious.
Bai Jiaojiao's eyes were bright, like a little gluttonous cat. Shen Heng couldn't help but smile: "If you like to eat it, I'll go to the reservoir to get some next time. There aren't many of these left."
"Heng-ge is the best." Bai Jiaojiao smiled, her eyes curving into crescents, her pupils sparkling and incredibly beautiful.
Shen Heng touched his lips and looked away.
Shen Heng knew he had tormented Bai Jiaojiao these past two days and tried to be patient, but he found that Bai Jiaojiao was always trying to seduce him.
"Heng-ge, take the fish to the kitchen. I'll make braised carp for dinner tonight."
Bai Jiaojiao licked her lips, as if she had already tasted the deliciousness.
Shen Heng picked up the bucket and stepped into the rain. The rain had now turned into a light drizzle, like fine needles, which felt cool and refreshing on his body, dispelling the anger that had just risen within him.
He carried the fish into the kitchen, remembering Bai Jiaojiao's comment that the kitchen was too rudimentary.
He then looked around carefully to see how to repair it.
"I just took a look, and if we're going to repair this kitchen, it would be better to tear it down and rebuild it."
Shen Heng entered the room and spoke to Bai Jiaojiao.
"Wouldn't that take a lot of work?" Bai Jiaojiao muttered to herself. "But if it can be fixed in one go, it will save us a lot of trouble in the future."
"Hmm." Shen Heng felt an indescribable sense of comfort as he listened to Bai Jiaojiao talk about the future.
"So, do we need to hire someone? Where can we get the materials?"
Shen Heng shook his head: "No need to hire anyone, I can do it myself."
Having struggled to survive to this day, Chen Heng has honed his skills.
The thatched hut they live in now was also repaired and patched up by Shen Heng before it became habitable.
"Heng-ge, how about this?" Bai Jiaojiao looked around the bedroom, "We'll save up enough money and rebuild two rooms, what do you think?"
Shen Heng remained silent for a long time, realizing that his condition was unfair to Bai Jiaojiao.
Even if the Bai family was down on their luck, they still lived in a stone house, which at least provided warmth in winter and coolness in summer.
“We don’t have enough money right now. How about this, let’s fix the kitchen first, and when we’ve saved up some money, I’ll build you a new house in two years.”
Shen Heng dared not boast. Nowadays, people build new houses with bricks and tiles. It costs two or three thousand yuan to build two rooms with that kind of material. Building a stone house only costs a few hundred yuan, but it will be outdated in less than two years. It is better to build a good one from the start.
"Brother Heng, what are you saying? Of course, we'll save this money together."
Bai Jiaojiao pulled Shen Heng closer: "Brother Heng, let me ask you, if I make something, can you find a way to sell it in town?"
"Don't get involved in this."
Shen Heng knew the risks involved. He wasn't afraid of risking his life himself, but how could he possibly dare to take Bai Jiaojiao to do anything speculative or profiteering?
He flatly refused, his tone fierce: "I'll figure out the house issue, you better behave!"
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