"Liu Shile, you don't want to come back to work, you just want to stay in the county town and slack off, right? Let me tell you, not coming back is absolutely impossible, you'd better give up on that idea as soon as possible!"
Zhang Sumei wasn't stupid. She wanted to keep them under her thumb, but she didn't want them to stay in the county town. There were always more opportunities in big cities than in small ones.
She already regretted her hasty decision to agree to let them go out and earn tuition fees, which ruined her plan. Now she was determined not to give in to that brat's wishes!
After that brat's serious illness, she's become much smarter and knows how to provoke her. She fell for it once before, and she won't fall for it again this time.
Liu Shile was a little disappointed when she heard this, but she didn't show it at all. She just smiled and said, "I knew Mom was worried that we would suffer outside."
"Mom, don't worry, my second brother and I will definitely come back to help with chores this weekend. Just remember to make sure we have enough food next time, otherwise we won't have the energy to work if we're hungry."
She smiled faintly, but Zhang Sumei wanted to slap her across the face. Although her family had always been relatively well-off, she had never really let them have a full meal.
They never said anything before, silently eating their own meals. Even if they weren't full, they didn't dare to say it in front of others and could only endure it.
Now that brat is really something, she's spilled all the beans to her husband. Although he's always been aware of it, no one has said anything, so he hasn't said anything either. He just sneakily gets them some food from time to time.
Liu Shile didn't care about how this person felt; she had to tell them all the grievances they had suffered over the years, didn't she?
Since everything is in their hands now, Liu Shile isn't afraid of this person threatening to prevent them from studying.
Liu Weisong felt somewhat uncomfortable listening to this. He could understand his wife's complicated feelings, and it was true that the children had suffered a lot of injustice over the years. Now it seemed that the two children were aware of this.
"Lele, you can focus on your studies. Don't worry about things at home or about food. As long as there's food in the house, there's food for you too."
He wasn't really sure what he was saying, because nowadays his wife takes care of everything at home, big and small. As a man with limited mobility, he sometimes has to rely on his wife for help to do things.
Even when he wasn't injured, his wife controlled the family finances, so his words were meaningless.
Liu Shile knew her father's situation, so she didn't say anything more. She just nodded and smiled, "I know. Mom and Dad, please take good care of yourselves at home. As the great man said, health is the foundation of life."
"Yes, Mom and Dad, you need to take care of yourselves. Leave the heavy work to me when I get home, so don't overwork yourselves."
Seeing his once-brilliant father now looking pale and sallow, Liu Shihua was the one who felt the most heartache. He always remembered what his father had done for them, his children.
Zhang Sumei pouted, "Don't try to sweet-talk me. I heard from the neighbors that they're planning to find a secluded spot in the mountains to clear some land. If you're really interested, you can clear some land for me in the future."
Grain is expensive these days, and it's not as easy to buy as it used to be. If families could cultivate some wasteland and grow some grain, they wouldn't have to worry about going hungry.
When Zhang Sumei visited neighbors yesterday, she overheard them occasionally mentioning land reclamation, and she immediately became interested in it herself.
However, her health is not good enough now, and she has never farmed before, at most she has tended the vegetable garden at home, so she is not very confident about this matter.
Now that these two kids have put their mouths so openly, it would be a shame if she didn't seize the opportunity to squeeze them dry!
"They're still children, and you're sending them to clear land in the mountains? Is clearing land so easy?" Liu Weisong knew that clearing land was extremely hard work; he had heard people talk about how difficult it was before.
Besides, their primary task right now is to study hard. If they spend their weekends clearing land, where will they find the time to study?
Liu Weisong disapproved of jeopardizing his child's future, but his words had no effect whatsoever and instead provoked Zhang Sumei's anger.
"They're still young? You must not have seen children born in farming families. Which child their age isn't treated like an adult?"
Zhang Sumei stood with her hands on her hips, looking down at Liu Weisong with eyes that seemed to be spitting fire, as if to say, "If you say anything more, I'll get angry with you."
Liu Shile and Liu Shihua were not unhappy about this at all, because they themselves wanted to go and explore some wilderness, but neither of them said it out loud.
Now that her mother had said that, in order to avoid her parents arguing about it again, Liu Shihua, being the soft-hearted girl she is, immediately spoke up.
He said, "Dad, don't worry. Mom is right. It's hard to buy food these days. It's only right that we cultivate some land and grow some food. It's better to work hard now than to go hungry."
His words were so sincere that Zhang Sumei couldn't say anything more to him, since she hadn't expected them to agree so readily.
Liu Shile nodded and smiled, "Yes, since everyone is doing it this way, it would be unseemly if our family didn't."
You know, the most popular thing nowadays is to stick together. Actually, their family could continue to run the paoba business, but they would have to cooperate with their neighbors.
Now that the neighbors have all gone to reclaim the land, if her family doesn't go, and if things go against the rules or get out, they'll be the first to be dissatisfied with her family.
The reason is simple: because their family didn't cultivate the land, it's possible that they informed on them or something, so that their family has to take the blame.
Although Liu Shile didn't know much about these things, she originally wanted to cultivate some land, otherwise how would she take out the things from the farm in the future?
Liu Shixi breathed a sigh of relief when she heard her younger siblings say this. She was most afraid of her parents arguing. Her parents were already in poor health, and if they continued to argue, it would only make the atmosphere at home more oppressive.
So she smiled and said, "Shihua and Lele have grown up. Don't worry, your eldest sister will go with you. We have food at home, so we won't panic."
"Once we grow them, things will be much better for our family next year. Everyone will have enough to eat, and we'll try our best to store some grain for the family."
Actually, if it weren't for the fact that her family needed her care, she would have liked to go up the mountain to clear some land herself. Many families in the town had already gone up the mountain to clear land.
She knew about this a long time ago and was very interested in it, but because someone had to stay at home, she could only pretend not to know. Now that everyone has agreed to start clearing the land, she is really happy.
Seeing that all the children were thinking of their family, Liu Weisong felt very gratified and nodded with a smile, "Good, good, you are all good children, and you are not afraid of hardship or fatigue. With you at home, we are all at ease."
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