Dusk slowly fell.
People walked past the house from time to time. When they heard that there was something exciting to watch, several people gathered around in a short while.
Hu Zhaodi said to the onlookers, "After Erlangzi came home from school, I asked him to pick up ears of rice in the fields. He should at least be able to earn some work points, right? But he came back empty-handed. I asked him what happened, and he said that his fourth aunt asked him and Erya to go up the mountain to collect firewood, so they didn't have time to pick up rice ears. Wanyue is an educated youth, so I understand that she doesn't know how to chop wood, but we can't expect a child to do the work, hey..."
The people watching on the side nodded in agreement.
If you don't know how to chop wood, you can learn it, or you can ask the men in your family for help. But how can you let a ten-year-old child go up the mountain to chop wood?
Jiang Wanyue kicked the tree lying in the yard and said, "This is the firewood that Erlangzi and Erya picked up."
Hu Zhaodi took one look and said in disbelief, "This tree must weigh at least 20 kilograms. In the city, two kilograms of firewood cost one cent, so this can be sold for ten cents. Two eggs also cost ten cents. Wanyue, you are an adult, you can't take advantage of your nephew like this."
"Erlangzi, come here." Jiang Wanyue said, "Tell me, was it Fourth Aunt who asked you to go chop wood, or did you and Erya want to go on your own initiative because you wanted to eat candy?"
The fool's face turned red.
After school, he was lazy and played around when he got home. When he saw Fenglian eating candy, he naturally wanted to eat some too. After asking, he came to Fourth Aunt's place.
He dragged firewood back for Fourth Aunt, and only remembered to pick ears of corn after he finished eating the candy. However, he had already finished his work and was afraid of being scolded, so he said he had gone to chop firewood for Fourth Aunt.
Who would have thought that his mother would come to cause trouble for Fourth Aunt.
“I, I…”
He lowered his head in shame.
With this look, what else is there for everyone to not understand?
"You, you useless thing!" Hu Zhaodi was so angry that she raised her hand, wishing she could slap her son to death.
Jiang Wanyue stopped her from moving: "However, Erlangzi did bring me some dry firewood, which was a great help to me. I'll charge you the price in the city. I'll pay you two eggs for every dime you pay."
She asked Song Huaizhi to go to the basket under the table in the room and take out two eggs.
Hu Zhaodi originally came here to cause trouble, but when she saw Jiang Wanyue really took out two eggs, she felt that she was being too fussy, and said with a guilty conscience: "Well, Wanyue, you just give the two children candy and shortbread, and give them an egg."
"As the fourth aunt, it is my duty to give candy to my nephews and nieces." Jiang Wanyue paused and said, "But then again, the firewood that costs one cent and two kilograms is already chopped."
"That's right!" The people watching were a little sour. "Song Erniang, you have the nerve to accept two eggs from your sister-in-law. If you drag this half tree to the city to sell it, I'm afraid no one will want it for a penny."
Hu Zhaodi's face felt a little hot.
Her two children ate other people's candies and biscuits, and she also took away two of their eggs. This was really too unfair.
If her mother-in-law finds out, she will definitely poke her on the back and scold her.
She gave a dry smile and said, "I'll leave the chopping of wood to Erlangzi's father. He'll come over when he's done."
After she finished speaking, she put the two eggs in her pocket, took Erlangzi with her, and left quickly.
Jiang Wanyue smiled.
If Hu Zhaodi is the kind of person who takes advantage of others and still acts ungratefully, then she will no longer have any contact with the second wife's family.
But judging from what happened just now, Hu Zhaodi is not shameless. As long as a person still has some dignity, he can maintain superficial harmony.
About half an hour later, Song Defa, the second son of the Song family, came over with a hatchet. He chopped off half of the tree in the yard, then stood it up and split it.
While he was chopping wood, Song Huaizhi was picking up firewood nearby and placing the dry firewood neatly under the eaves.
"Fourth brother's wife, just tell me when you need to chop wood in the future." Song Defa wiped his sweat and said, "It's just a small matter, don't give me eggs in the future."
"Brother, you have good intentions, but you also have to consider sister-in-law. Don't quarrel over such a small matter." Jiang Wanyue said with a smile, "But there is really no one in the family who knows how to chop wood. Brother, how about this, we can calculate it according to the city's price, one cent for two kilograms of firewood, how about that?"
Song Defa was stunned when he heard this.
In the past, some people in the village chopped firewood and dragged it to the city to sell, but because the policy did not allow private transactions, they sold it secretly. Either they could not sell it, or if they were discovered, all the firewood would be confiscated and the person would be arrested and locked up for three days.
Sometimes you are lucky enough to meet someone buying firewood, but he will complain that the firewood is too wet and keep lowering the price, often to one cent for four or five pounds of firewood.
My fourth brother’s wife came from the city and had no idea how tempting two pounds of firewood for one cent could be.
Song Defa said, "We are a family, so there is no need to talk about money. I will send you some firewood every few days."
"If Second Brother says so, I won't bother you anymore." Jiang Wanyue sighed, "I'll go ask Wan Lao San on the other side of the river. He should..."
"Don't ask." Song Defa interrupted her hurriedly, "Since you insist on paying, then let's pay according to the price of one cent for four pounds of firewood. It's getting late, I'm going back first."
He turned and walked out.
Jiang Wanyue shook her head.
I have to say that the men in the Song family are all good people. I just don’t know why the original body’s husband, Song Desheng, abandoned his wife and children and started another family outside?
However, Song Desheng will not be found until many years later, so I don’t want to think about this scumbag now.
It rained at night.
It is said that every autumn rain brings a chill, and Jiang Wanyue clearly felt the weather getting colder.
The thin quilt on the bed was not enough to cover them, so the three children huddled together.
When Huazi woke up in the morning, he was sniffing all the time.
Jiang Wanyue applied a hot towel to him and thought to herself that she had to buy some cotton to make a new quilt, otherwise the whole family would catch a cold if this continued.
After we finished our meal, it was still raining.
We don't have to go to work temporarily because it's raining, and even school is suspended because the classroom is leaking.
"I still have to go to school." Jiang Wanyue changed into a pair of worn-out shoes, "Huaizhi, Yingzi, you two stay at home and take care of Huazi."
Many children in grades one and two do not have school bags, and their textbooks are left on their desks every day and not taken home. When it rains, the books will definitely get wet.
In this era, students cannot take the college entrance examination and education is suppressed. Children do not think knowledge is valuable and naturally do not cherish textbooks. But she is a teacher and cannot just sit there and do nothing.
There was no umbrella at home, so Jiang Wanyue wore a straw hat and a raincoat and walked towards the school.
Before I had walked far, I ran into a familiar figure.
It was Lin Jin, who was also an educated youth.
Lin Jin looked at Jiang Wanyue, clenched his fingers and said, "Do you think you are great just because you become a teacher?"
She thought that after Jiang Wanyue's husband died, she would work in the fields every day like her and slowly become an ordinary peasant woman.
But last night I heard that Jiang Wanyue went to teach in an elementary school.
Being a teacher was the job that all the educated youth wanted to do the most, but it was not their turn.
You can imagine how jealous she was.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
