Having learned from their previous experience, Li Zhen and Li Ping, without needing to be told, quickly poured the clam and tofu soup in front of each person back into the soup bowl, and then stuffed the soup bowl and the stir-fried clam meat into the cupboard.
Now, all that was left on the table was a shallow sorghum pancake, a bowl of boiled eggplant, and a small dish of pickled mustard greens.
When Li Wanshi entered the house, she saw Li Jin's family of seven, plus Ning Ruoruo, sitting upright at the dining table.
She glanced around and saw that the table was full of ordinary food, but why did the air smell of oil and river fish?
Then, recalling the morning when the reservoir released water and everyone went fishing, I immediately understood that my eldest son's family must have cooked fish!
Did they hide the fish when they saw me coming?
Li Wanshi was furious and wanted to lash out, but then she remembered her purpose and had to suppress her temper for the time being.
"Liu Zi, why are there outsiders in the house?"
Li Wanshi looked at Ning Ruoruo with disdain and disgust in her eyes.
"Mother, please sit down. Have you eaten?"
Li Jin knew his mother's intentions were definitely not simple, so he didn't respond.
Li Wanshi plopped down in the seat Zhao Sufang had given her. "How can you eat? Liu Zi, you're a brigade leader, how can you still have the appetite? I'm worried about you!"
Before Li Jin could reply, Li Xiangdong said with a faint smile, "What's wrong, Grandma? What's wrong with my dad? He can't even eat?"
Regardless of who responds or what they say, Li Wanshi's next words will always be the same.
"What's wrong with your dad? What's wrong with your dad? It's all because of you, you naughty brat!"
Li Wanshi looked at Li Xiangdong with a look of disappointment and frustration, pointing at him from afar.
"Why are you feeding the pigs? You're our family's grandson, all you need to do is study hard. Let your mother, your sister, and your younger sister do these chores!"
"Oh, so you do all these chores around your house? Or does my grandfather do them?" Li Xiangdong asked back.
Li Wanshi choked, "You ungrateful brat, you can't understand good and bad words."
Then, changing the subject, she said, "You say you're just feeding pigs, why are you meddling in all this messy stuff?"
As Li Wanshi spoke, she glanced sideways at Ning Ruoruo.
"As the saying goes, flies don't land on eggs without cracks. How come that young man was perfectly fine all the time, why didn't he rape others, but only you?"
"Mother! What nonsense are you talking about!"
Li Jin was furious. His mother had come to his house to force Ning Ruoruo to her death.
"What nonsense am I talking about? Niu Guang and Liu Baobao have grown up, have you ever heard of them ruining any girls in our village? Maybe there are some girls, young but always acting all seductive and trying to seduce men!"
Li Wanshi's eyebrows shot up, and her words were like knives.
"Is this victim-blaming? If money is stolen, you blame the person who made the money; if an apple is stolen, you blame the apple for being too red; if a woman is raped, you blame the woman for being pretty?"
Li Xiangdong couldn't take it anymore and sarcastically retorted to his grandmother, "Grandma, did you wrap your foot bindings up to your head?"
"You?!" Li Wanshi trembled with anger at the last sentence.
"You absolutely mustn't go out and say such things, or the commune will arrest you as a feudal remnant and make you bring your own food to a study session!" Li Xiangdong kindly reminded him.
Ning Ruoruo was furious, but she had developed a habit over the years of not showing her emotions.
Even so, her face had already turned pale with anger, but before she could vent her anger, Li Xiangdong and Li Wanshi started arguing back and forth.
"Don't talk to me about study sessions. I support the government and the Party, and no one can do anything to me!"
Li Wanshi was clearly a little guilty after what Li Xiangdong said.
However, thinking of the generous reward promised by Aunt Niu and the malted milk powder at home, she gritted her teeth, softened her tone, and said in a caring manner, "Ning family girl, it's not that I'm being nosy, but you have to think about my son's family too. Xiang Dong stood up for you, and now that you're in trouble, you're staying at my son's house. The rumors outside are really nasty!"
“Mother, there’s no gossip at all. We were just worried that Miss Ning would be scared living alone in the cowshed, so we arranged for her to live with Zhenzhen.”
It was rare for Zhao Sufang to dare to say a word against her mother-in-law.
"What do you know! You long-haired, short-witted fool!" Li Wanshi scolded angrily.
This bitch dares to contradict me!
This is outrageous!
"What rumors are you spreading? Tell me about them!"
When Ning Ruoruo spoke, there was no warmth in her eyes.
“Ning family daughter, you are still young, and your parents are gone. There are some truths that no one has ever told you. A woman, once a man has seen and touched her, only has two paths left: either become a nun or hang herself. Yes, we live in a new country now, and we don’t care about those things anymore, but if you want to have a good life, what other way is there besides marrying that man!”
Li Wanshi, with the air of a chaste and virtuous woman, stood on the moral high ground lecturing Ning Ruoruo.
"Yesterday's events happened so suddenly. Gai Fengniang said she wanted her son to marry you, and we understand why you disagreed. Now, a day and a night have passed. What have you thought about it?"
“You’re still too young to get a marriage certificate with Liu Baobao. Why don’t you move to Liu’s house first? That way you won’t be all alone in the cowshed, living a hard life. When you turn 18, you can get a marriage certificate with Liu Baobao, and then you’ll have a home.”
"The Liu family only has one male heir, Liu Baobao, to carry on the family line. If you marry into the family and give birth to two big, healthy sons, will you still have to worry about not having a good life in the future?"
Li Wanshi believed that her thinking was clear and her words were reasonable and persuasive, and that the Ning family girl would definitely listen to her. She felt that she had not failed in her mission.
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