Chapter 6, Selling eels
But she was no match for Grandma He at that time. Even now, more than ten years have passed, she is still no match for Grandma He.
"Of course. Look at whose daughter-in-law she is. How can she be a lazy one?" Grandma He's words were full of pride, and of course, she also had a hidden meaning.
Sister-in-law Yong is the lazy bitch that Grandma He calls her.
If she hadn't given birth to three sons, she would have been kicked out of the house long ago.
The three sons are better than each other, filial and well-mannered, all of which were the credit of He Laoer when he was alive.
He Laoer is also the older brother of He Nainan's husband, but because his family got married, the relationship between them has gradually changed.
Everyone has fought over trivial matters, but now they can talk to each other calmly because the village is only as big as a palm and there is always a chance for reconciliation.
The fields here all belong to their group five. There are very few on the group four side. However, the mountains are basically all here. There are five groups in Hejia Village, and several other groups are on the mountain in front.
The village is not big, but it is not small either. If it is big, there are only about a hundred households.
Sister-in-law Yong just chuckled twice and didn't dare to say anything more.
There were also wives from other families in the village nearby, and of course, there were men as well, but they all stood about ten steps away from the women.
"Aunt He, your family is planting late rice this year, right?" asked a relatively friendly aunt.
Mei Xue didn't know them and wasn't familiar with them, but she just started talking and listened.
"Well, Junqi came back late this year, so I planted the rice seedlings a month late." Grandma He spoke very kindly to her daughter-in-law.
She lives just a few steps down from my house, and I know her very well. She is a filial and kind person.
"Xiaoxue, this is your Aunt Meilian, come here and introduce yourself to her." Because no one had held a wedding banquet for Meixue's wedding, everyone knew her, but only a few people had met her.
Hearing her grandmother's tone, Mei Xue smiled and called out, "Hello, Aunt Mei Lian."
Meilian looked at the little girl and saw that her features were quite delicate, and it was obvious that she was brought up in pampered conditions. However, her hands and feet were now covered in mud, which made people feel quite favorable towards her.
"Hello, Xiaoxue, I live downstairs from your house, downstairs from your uncle Xilian's mother's house. When you have time, come and play with your sister Lixia. She just happened to be back to her mother's house." Aunt Meilian said with a smile.
My daughter Zhongyong gave birth to a son in the first year after her marriage. The son ran back to her parents' home as soon as the baby was one month old.
The man's side also sent food and money, and the whole family was very happy.
"Well, I'll come when I'm not busy." Mei Xue responded quickly.
Seeing that Xiaoxue was not shy, Grandma He felt happy.
"Lixia's son is only two months old. Why is he back at this time?" Grandma He asked.
"You don't know, but she's tired of taking care of the child alone, so she came back to find someone to help." Aunt Meilian said with a smile.
My son-in-law's family is quite well-off, so Lixia doesn't need to work.
She was well provided for with food and clothing at home, and with her son, the whole family loved her deeply.
"That's right. Everyone in the family is working, and there's really no one to help her. But it's not good for her to stay here for too long. Let her stay for a month or so, and go back as soon as she learns how to do it." Grandma He smiled.
These words were indeed harsh, but if one listened carefully one could tell that they were helping Lixia.
Is there anyone who would go back to her parents’ home and stay there for a month?
Mei Xue smiled and made fun of her protective grandmother, but Grandma He rolled her eyes at her.
We walked home talking and laughing all the way.
He Mountain is halfway up the mountain, with four families living on it. One is Grandma He’s eldest nephew, one is Aunt Xilian’s family, three families are on the same level as the He family, and Aunt Meilian’s family lives on the edge of the field below.
In the village, everyone is related to each other, and the saying that there is a relative every ten steps is really true.
The four groups here have the same ancestor, and everyone is similar.
After returning home, Mei Xue quickly fetched water to wash the mud off her grandmother and herself, and then went to cook.
Grandma He let her do what she could and chopped all the eels herself, otherwise they would be dead by tomorrow and could not be sold at a high price.
Living things always sell better than dead ones.
Because she had worked for half a day, there was some lunch left, so Mei Xue washed the pot and heated up the oil, then cooked some rice with eggs and made some leek soup.
"Grandma, it's time to eat."
After it was done, Mei Xue shouted in the kitchen.
Grandma He didn't stop when she came back. She fed the chickens and pigs at home. Just as she brushed off the dust on her body, she heard her granddaughter-in-law calling her to eat. She was so happy.
"I am here."
The two of them had a great appetite after the dinner.
"Go to bed early tonight and go to the street to sell the eels early tomorrow. You wait for me at home, and then we will go to the fields together." The work in the fields was done, but there was still work to do.
People in the countryside have no time to rest all year round.
"Grandma, I'll go with you. Don't worry, the wound on my head has healed, so I can work today." When Mei Xue heard her grandma asking her to stay at home, how could she be willing to work?
Grandma He wanted to say no, but looking into Xiaoxue's eyes, she had to nod: "Okay, then get up early."
We had a good night’s sleep. There was a lot of water in the soup, so we both slept soundly. Deep sleep is the best remedy for relieving fatigue.
If Mei Xue was somewhere else, she might not be as comfortable as she is now, because the water in her space is really useless. Apart from providing relief to animals and humans, it has no other use at all.
Fortunately, she came to the countryside.
The next day, Mei Xue and Grandma He walked on the country road with a big bucket of eels.
It takes at least two or three hours to get from home to the street, so at four or five in the morning, the two of them get up, eat, and go out.
"Grandma, isn't there a car in our village that can go to the street?" Mei Xue asked while walking on the road.
It is cool in the morning, but after walking for a long time, people feel tired and hot.
"Yes, there is a carriage in the village, but it only goes out when there is a market. It stays at home on weekdays."
Grandma He wiped the sweat from her forehead as she walked and replied to Mei Xue.
Mei Xue wanted to ask why we didn't build a car, but when she thought of the money she lost last time, she shut her mouth.
She knew that her family must have given her all the money as a gift last time.
It was past eight o'clock when the two of them finally walked onto the street, and at this time the shops on the street were just opening.
There were quite a few pedestrians on the street, but everyone was busy getting on their way and few stopped to greet each other.
"Grandma, where can we sell these things?" Mei Xue asked.
Grandma He stood and rested for a while, "Let's go to the cooperative, there are people collecting them there." She seldom left the village, and only knew the places where everyone went on weekdays.
I have heard of the name cooperative, but I am not familiar with it. There is nothing I can do about it because it is too far away from this era.
I obediently followed Grandma He to the cooperative.
After arriving, Mei Xue realized that this was a big supermarket that sold all kinds of things.
(End of this chapter)
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