Several days later, the villagers were still talking about the winter hunt.
On the day the pig was slaughtered and the meat distributed, An Moxue overheard the villagers eating two meals. She then learned that in the northern region, because it gets light late in the morning and dark early in the evening in winter, with short days and long nights, and there is not much work to do in winter, many families eat two meals after the agricultural off-season.
So these past few days, An Moxue has switched to eating two meals a day.
Around 3 PM, not long after An Moxue finished her meal, Qi Taohua arrived.
The two sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), and An Moxue took out some melon seeds and hazelnuts. They ate snacks and chatted.
"Sister Moxue, why didn't you go to our educated youth reunion? Are you still remembering the time they waited for you at the village entrance to borrow money? Did you feel embarrassed?"
An Moxue didn't seem to care when Tao Hua asked that, but she didn't answer Tao Hua's question either. Instead, she asked another question: "Tao Hua, how much meat did each of you take at your get-together?"
"Two ounces, what's wrong?"
"Was the initial notification that it was two taels, or was it two taels that everyone discussed and agreed upon?"
"Is there any difference?" Peach Blossom asked curiously.
"Just tell me what happened, and I'll tell you why I didn't go."
"There was no discussion. The team leader just said that after slaughtering the pig and dividing the meat, we educated youth could have a get-together. After we divided the meat, we would tell each person to take two ounces of meat."
"Were there any educated youth who weren't at the designated educated youth settlements who went there?"
"No, nobody went. That's strange, none of the educated youth who moved out went. Sister Moxue, why is that? There are only a few of us educated youth, why didn't any of them come? Why didn't you come?"
"Well, that day, I was walking back from getting vegetables at the threshing ground when a male educated youth stopped me. He said we educated youth wanted to have a meal together, and I agreed. But he said everyone had to bring a pound of meat. I asked him if he knew that we newcomers this year only received a pound of meat each. He didn't say anything after that, and I left. After that, no one told me we educated youth were having a meal together!"
"Did they have two different standards when they notified you? I thought you were busy and didn't have time to go! How could they do this! No wonder my sister told me to talk as little as possible, it's infuriating."
An Moxue smiled. She could tell that Qi Hehua was quite shrewd. As for Qi Taohua, An Moxue initially thought she was timid and weak, but over time she gradually realized that this girl was straightforward and outspoken. Her sister was afraid that she would cause trouble, so she restrained her from speaking too much and from acting too cautiously.
Now, whenever she has something she doesn't want to talk to her sister about, she comes to An Moxue.
"Sister Moxue, my sister and I want to move out. How can we have a place to live alone while spending the least amount of money?"
Before An Moxue could answer, she sighed again, "My sister said we have no money, how are we going to move out! It's driving me crazy!" She then scratched her hair with both hands, looking very annoyed.
An Moxue found her expression amusing, thinking she was truly young and carefree, and asked her in return, "Have you thought about where you two would live even if you had the money to move out?"
"Why not just find a separate house to live in? There are plenty in the village! Just like you, isn't that great!"
"Have you thought about the safety issues after moving out on your own?"
"What's the problem?"
Hearing her question, An Moxue knew that the child was still thinking too simply. She asked, "Have you thought about what the village hooligans or people who want to take advantage of you sisters will do after you move out on your own? Zhang Dazui's actions weren't impulsive; they were premeditated, weren't they? Can you guarantee there won't be another Zhang Dazui?"
Peach Blossom fell silent after hearing An Moxue's words. She knew that An Moxue was right, or perhaps she had been too naive.
"Sister Moxue, I was just being too naive."
"This isn't your fault. Even I wouldn't have moved out if I didn't have the strength to protect myself. These thugs are tough; they're not so easy to deal with. You and your sister should consider moving out when you're able to protect yourselves!"
"Sister Moxue, are you saying that some thugs have come looking for you here?"
"Just don't tell anyone. And it wasn't just one, it was several. They were all scared of me and never came back."
"Oh! I see! How come I've never heard of this?"
"Of course I haven't heard of him. He's from another village, but he was recruited from this village. I gave him a good beating, but I didn't dare to make a fuss. I beat them so badly they were bedridden for days and couldn't get up. Who dares to say anything? Aren't they afraid of getting beaten up again?"
"Sister Moxue, you are amazing."
"What a pity! Not everyone is like you, unable to even protect your own child or food. It's truly pathetic. A child with a mother like that will suffer both mistreatment and pain."
'Who is this kid talking about? This child's words are quite a leap!' An Moxue thought to herself.
"What's wrong? Whose business has made you so emotional?"
"Who else could it be? It's the family of Er Liangzi, the one who was most seriously injured after the winter hunt!"
"What happened at Erliangzi's house?"
"This wasn't a meat distribution. Erliangzi got a share from hunting, his family got a normal share, and then he was seriously injured while saving someone, so the village gave him some meat as a reward! The family he saved also gave him some meat and other things. So he ended up getting quite a bit of meat. Then, on the night the meat was distributed, his mother-in-law went to his house and took all the meat, leaving only a few bones. Later, his children chased them out to ask their grandmother for more meat, but the old lady refused and injured one of the children, which led to a fierce fight back from the children. The crying and shouting attracted the neighbors, and that's how everyone found out."
"And then what?"
"The children said the old lady took all the meat, so what would their father use to nourish himself? Only a few bones were left. One of them ran back and showed everyone the remaining bones, saying the meat was all in a big basket the old lady was carrying on her arm. Several children blocked the old lady from leaving, and more and more people gathered. Someone notified the village chief, who came with the militia and stopped the meat. He warned the old lady not to go to Erliangzi's house for more meat and told Erliangzi's children that if the old lady went to take meat again, they should go to him and she would have to pay double for whatever she took. In the end, the old lady still managed to take more than two jin of meat. Erliangzi's wife never showed up from beginning to end. At that time, Erliangzi was still unconscious in the village clinic! How could there be such a mother in this world? She took the meat, what will Erliangzi use to nourish himself?"
"Yes! One mother only cares about exploiting her son, while another mother can't protect her children."
"It's so unfortunate to be their child!" Peach Blossom looked down on the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law from the bottom of her heart.
"I overheard some stories about this old lady from the villagers when I was at the clinic the other day. She's a typical example of someone who exploits her children. She asks for anything her children have, and if they don't give it to her, she accuses them of being unfilial and curses at them fiercely. She won't accept anything less than what they give her. Many villagers don't like her. I heard that she only gives the best food in her house to her eldest son, eldest grandson, and herself, and no one else can even think about it, especially her daughter-in-law and granddaughter, and the same goes for her daughter."
"Is it because she's old and her eldest son has to take care of her? And when her eldest grandson gets married, her son will be old and she'll have to take care of him too. That's why she's so good to them. She doesn't need other people to support her when they're old; she only needs to provide them with money and food."
"is that so?"
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