Li Fenlan and Li Taohong have heard such words since they were young. Obviously, they were more hardworking and talented when they were in school, but they were forced to drop out of school and work in the fields before graduating from junior high school. The two sisters had to support Li Dayong, who was not good at studying.
But in the end he didn't even make it to high school. He spent a few years in the village, and with the help of the betrothal gifts from his two sisters, he got married and had children. In the past two years, the township enterprises were recruiting people, so he went in to work as a handyman, and only then did his life become stable.
Li Xiuqin said that she didn't want Xiaoshuang to continue studying. It was good enough for a girl to be supported until the third year of junior high school. If she got married in the future, wouldn't she be supporting other families' students? She might as well use the money to support their eldest grandson. It would be a great honor for the family if he could get into college in the future!
Xiao Shuang was holding the only two remaining candied haws in her hand, one of which had been bitten. She had to give in to her brother when it came to food since she was a child and would eat whatever he left. But now, she didn't feel like eating this candied haws at all.
But she didn't dare to throw it, for fear that her grandfather would be unhappy and the branch would fall down.
Yingzi knew what her daughter was thinking, but as a rural woman with no skills other than farming, what could she do? She had argued for Xiaoshuang's schooling, but after all the arguments, she could only graduate from the third year of junior high school.
She pinched the corner of her clothes with her fingers and forced a smile, then took the candied haws from Xiao Shuang and said, "It's time to eat later. I'll hold it for you first."
Li Shenggen sat between the tables, with Li Dayong and Li Gang, father and son, next to him. His uncle-in-law Zhao Baoliang sat silently at the outermost edge. He basically didn't speak, and Li Dayong had no intention of chatting with him.
Li Xiuqin picked some vermicelli from the bowl of chicken meat, and symbolically picked up a few pieces of chicken neck and stuffed them into Xiaoshuang's arms: "Greedy girl, grandma gave you meat to eat, don't turn around and say I was biased!"
Aunt Li Taohong silently moved a stool and followed to the kitchen. Li Fenlan also wanted to leave, but was stopped by Xie Yunshu.
Li Xiuqin's eyes moved quickly. She felt that this granddaughter was much more imposing than before. She thought that she would be different as a doctor's wife and would have more confidence at home. However, today they had to deal with business, so there was no need to quarrel at this critical moment. Who knew if this damn girl went crazy and turned the table over?
She still remembered how old Xie Yunshu was. Just because she had a fight with Mingcheng for something, Mingcheng was slapped by the old man. This girl overturned the table and smashed all the bowls in the kitchen, which hurt her so much!
Now that Xie Yunshu has married such a capable man, won't the table be overturned even faster?
"Okay, okay, you sisters, sit down and eat. Yunshu, sit down too. I just happen to have something to discuss with you sisters." Li Xiuqin asked Li Fenlan and Li Taohong to sit down, and brought a basket of corn tortillas from the kitchen and placed it in front of Mingcheng.
She was as kind as a good grandmother: "Mingcheng has grown so tall. I heard from your mother that you are a good student. You always get the first place in the exams. You will definitely be able to get into university in a few months!"
Xie Mingcheng had no expression on his face, but he hummed and said briefly, "Not bad."
The family then started to eat. The two chicken legs were neatly placed in the bowl, and they assumed that this was Li Gang. After all, who in the family didn't know that the old man and the old lady favored this eldest grandson the most?
But just as Li Xiaogang picked up a chicken leg, Xie Yunshu took the other chicken leg with chopsticks and put it in Xie Mingcheng's bowl, then smiled brightly: "On the way here, I said that our grandpa is not so biased. Look, he put two chicken legs in there. You and Xiaogang both need to grow up, so it's really fair to give one to each of you."
Li Shenggen's face turned green with anger. Whose chicken doesn't have two legs? Just now, the old woman said that the two chicken legs are for her eldest grandson, and the grandson is for the dog, who eats and leaves! Why should the food of the Li family be cheap for Xie?
Li Xiuqin nudged him with her elbow: "Eat, eat all! Yunshu should eat more too. Look at your little face. It would be better if it were fatter. Is life easy in the Lu family? I heard that the rich people eat meat every day. We country folks can't have a taste of oil for half a year. It's only because you came today that your grandfather gritted his teeth and killed a chicken!"
Li Fenlan and Li Taohong lowered their heads to eat cornbread, not to mention meat, they didn't even dare to take an extra chopstick of vermicelli. They had never been qualified to eat the Li family's meat since they were young, because they were born without a penis, unable to carry on the family line, and their children would take another family's surname.
Xie Yunshu was not polite. She picked up another piece of chicken with her chopsticks and put a piece in each of Li Fenlan and Li Taohong's bowls. She smiled and said, "Mom, aunt, come and eat it. Didn't you hear my grandma say that she cooked it especially for us? If you don't eat it, my grandpa will definitely be angry."
Li Shenggen couldn't hold it in any longer. He had the final say at home. Did a young girl really think she was someone important just because she married a good man?
The bowl was put down with a bang, and Li Shenggen stared at Li Fenlan and Li Xiuqin with a pair of cloudy eyes: "I said it directly, it's time to enter the third year of high school just after the New Year, and the poor conditions will affect my grandson's college entrance examination. Dayong and I have discussed it and spent money to send him to the city. The tuition fee is 100 yuan. You two sisters should find a way to get the money together."
One hundred yuan, two sisters each need 10 yuan, which is not enough for one person's monthly salary!
Li Taohong bit her lip and glanced at Zhao Baoliang, then mustered up the courage to refuse: "Dad, Fangfang also needs money to go to school..."
"Why should a little girl like Fangfang go to school? Isn't that a waste?" Li Shenggen didn't allow any rebuttal and pointed to the kitchen as a matter of course, "Xiaoshuang will have to retire and work in the fields after junior high school at most. Sooner or later, my daughter will leave me. Why can't you understand?"
Li Xiuqin followed up and said, "In the future, when we are admitted to university and our parents' family is doing well, no one will dare to bully you in your husband's family! Your father and I are doing this for the good of you sisters!"
But for Li Taohong, all the suffering came from her mother's family!
She was as cowardly as Li Fenlan. After being forced to marry, God took pity on her and let her husband and in-laws be good people. She could tolerate being bullied by her parents, but she wanted her daughter to have a bottom line.
"Mom, as long as Fangfang has the ability to pass the exam, I will support her for the rest of her life! Her surname is not Li but Zhao. If Baoliang lets her go, she can go!" This was probably the most confident sentence Li Taohong had ever said, but she was still shaking all over.
Zhao Baoliang hunched over and slowly pressed down on his wife's shoulders. His honest face was still half lowered, but he said firmly, "Fangfang is my daughter. I will support her."
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