In those days, rural residents could barely make a living from working the land, and every household lived a tight life. Grandma Xiaocao took more things back to her parents' home, leaving less for her own family. With over a dozen people in Xiaocao's family, it was impossible for everyone to agree with Grandma Gu.
Aunt Gu has two sons. Xiaocao's mother is Aunt Gu's eldest daughter-in-law. According to the rules in the countryside, when parents are in their sixties and can no longer do physical work, they have to live with the eldest son's family.
Aunt Gu and Dad Gu are over 50 years old this year. They can still work with the production team to earn a cent, and do not need the extra burden of their son and daughter-in-law.
Xiaocao's mother was shrewd. Aunt Gu and Dad Gu were both good workers. If they could make more money, they would live with the eldest wife in their old age and would definitely contribute a little. On the contrary, if the two elderly gave all their remaining money to the Gu family, they would be old and unable to work in a few years, and the burden on them as the eldest wife would be heavy.
Therefore, for the sake of her own family's interests, Xiaocao's mother could not tolerate Aunt Gu's frequent subsidies to her mother's family.
Xiaocao was raised by her grandmother, Aunt Gu, and had always been very close to her. Aunt Gu suggested leaving the pheasant for Tiezhu's mother to nourish her body, and Xiaocao agreed without hesitation.
"Good, good boy." Aunt Gu stroked Xiaocao's sparse yellow hair with satisfaction and sighed. It wasn't that she was being overly kind; her brother and sister-in-law had truly had it tough. Over the years, Tiezhu's mother had had opportunities to remarry, but she had rejected them all for her son's sake.
Aunt Gu admired Tiezhu's mother's determination and that's why she always looked up to her.
"Grandma, Yuanyuan caught the pheasant. She said she would give half to me. You can give this half to your aunt-in-law, and you have to keep the other half for Yuanyuan." Xiaocao did not forget to help his little friend get back the benefits even though his own pheasant was about to fly away.
"Grandma knows. Thank you, Yuanyuan." Aunt Gu touched Zhou Yuanyuan and Xiaocao's heads with satisfaction, and beckoned Zhou Yuanyuan to go to Tiezhu's house together. Aunt Gu thought Tiezhu's house was nearby, so she simply went in and divided the pheasant. This would save her from taking the pheasant home and catching her daughter-in-law's eye, which would make it difficult to give it away.
Zhou Yuanyuan didn't want the half pheasant, but Xiaocao held her hand tightly and wouldn't let go.
"Xiaocao, I won't go in. I'll give you half the pheasant." Zhou Yuanyuan persuaded.
"No, no, Yuanyuan, you caught the pheasant. It's kind of you to give me half of it. If I take your half too, what kind of person would I be?" Xiaocao was a bit stubborn. She remembered clearly that it was Zhou Yuanyuan who pounced on the pheasant. Yuanyuan said she would give her half of it, but she didn't say that the other half could be given to Tiezhu's cousin's family.
Zhou Yuanyuan said she didn't want to go, and Xiaocao misunderstood that Zhou Yuanyuan was unhappy and almost cried.
Alas! I really can’t refuse it. Zhou Yuanyuan lamented as Xiaocao pulled her into Gutiezhu’s house.
Gu Tiezhu's house is a mud house with only three rooms. One is the main room connected to the kitchen, one is where Tiezhu's mother and two children live, and the other is where Tiezhu and Wang Biyun live.
Zhou Yuanyuan also noticed that the roof of Tiezhu's house was not covered with tiles, but felt and thatch.
This family was really poor. The main room was empty. There was no furniture except a cooking stove, a dining table and a few wooden benches.
It can be seen from the clean stove that Tiezhu's mother is a hardworking woman.
Seeing Aunt Gu coming back, Tiezhu's mother seemed a little surprised.
"Sister-in-law! Xiaocao got a pheasant on the mountain today. Bring me a knife and I will cut half of it for you." Aunt Gu greeted Tiezhu's mother and explained the purpose of her return.
"No need, auntie. You have many children, so keep some and stew them at home. Xiaocao is truly a blessed child. Few people have been able to benefit from the gifts of Daqing Mountain over the years," Tiezhu's mother declined. Her health wasn't good enough, so Tiezhu's auntie had secretly helped her over the years. Because of this, Tiezhu's auntie, now in her fifties, was scolded by her daughter-in-law. It was she...who was dragging everyone down!
"Sister-in-law! I have food at home. Your health is important. You must eat pheasant no matter what." Aunt Gu had to say this in order to let Tiezhu's mother keep the pheasant.
"Oh~ Tiezhu's aunt is so stingy. She has already brought a pheasant, but she still wants to chop half of it and take it away? Can't she keep it all for my mother-in-law to nourish her body?" Wang Biyun heard it in the room and rushed out.
A few hours ago, Wang Biyun followed Tiezhu home, trembling with fear, thinking she was going to get a beating. Unexpectedly, Tiezhu had something to do, and after scolding her a few times, he left. Wang Biyun finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Wang Biyun, resentful of her mother-in-law for not speaking up when Tiezhu scolded her, hid in her room and slept soundly. Unexpectedly, Tiezhu's nosy aunt came to her house and started to ask her what was going on with her husband.
Wang Biyun played dumb and fooled Aunt Gu away. Unexpectedly, the old woman came back and took a pheasant?
Wang Biyun, in her room, overheard Tiezhu's mother's refusal and was furious. The old woman was so ignorant! She refused the pheasant Tiezhu's aunt had given her? If she didn't want to eat it, couldn't she keep it for the whole family? The two children were skinny and lacked nutrition! Pheasant! She hadn't tasted it in years.
"Where do you have the right to talk? Tiezhu's wife, just go do what you need to do." Tiezhu's mother was almost driven to death by her unruly daughter-in-law. How thick-skinned must one be to ask for a whole pheasant? Who doesn't lack food these days? It was such a great favor that Tiezhu's aunt gave her half a pheasant!
"What's wrong? Since Tiezhu's aunt sent pheasants here, she must have some more at home," Wang Biyun argued. To get the chicken, Wang Biyun fought tooth and nail, temporarily forgetting about the "iron sand palm" Gu Tiezhu had dealt her.
"Tiezhu's wife, to be honest, it's not that I'm stingy. Only half of this pheasant belongs to Xiaocao. I decided to give it to your mother to nourish her body, and Xiaocao agreed. The other half belongs to our child Yuanyuan." Aunt Gu's face fell. She had come to give the chicken with good intentions, but Wang Biyun pointed at her nose and called her stingy. Even her good temper couldn't stand it.
"Auntie, it was Yuanyuan who caught the pheasant." Xiaocao was also unhappy. Yuanyuan and she had worked so hard chasing the pheasant, so she gave her share. As for Yuanyuan's share, she would take it back for Yuanyuan no matter what.
"Ah? It's the pheasant Yuanyuan caught? Yuanyuan is really amazing." Wang Biyun came over with a smile, bent down and said to Yuanyuan, "Yuanyuan, I'm Aunt Biyun, your mother's best friend. You can give your pheasant to me. Your family is so well-off, so it doesn't matter whether you eat the chicken or not, right?"
"Tiezhu's wife, get back to your room!" Tiezhu's mother was furious. Her daughter-in-law was so shameless, asking a child for something.
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