Chapter 15
Although the original owner was a wicked woman, her table manners were always good. Her three sons didn't dare to pick up food in front of her. Zhen Zhen was a bit of a clean freak, and it became even worse after she came. Even the youngest girl in the family didn't dare to smack her lips or pick up food when eating. As soon as Tao Aihong came, she got into people's hearts.
Zhen Zhen glanced at her, and Tao Aihong laughed dryly, "Mom, why don't you eat?"
"The whole plate of food is covered in your saliva, how can I eat it?"
Tao Aihong pursed her lips and said, "Mom, it's not that I want to eat it, it's the child in my belly, this boy, who is making trouble!"
"Well, your child is simply your scapegoat. You blame him for everything that goes wrong! He has to take the blame at such a young age. This child's life is really not easy."
Tao Aihong felt aggrieved after being ridiculed by Zhen Zhen. If the whole family eats slowly, they will have nothing to eat. She wants to eat better for the sake of the baby in her belly. Isn't this right?
Isn't it just picking up some vegetables? Everyone eats like this!
This mother-in-law is too particular. She has been trying to intimidate her since she came in.
Zhen Zhen is not used to her, but as a mother-in-law, she has to treat her children equally. Tao Aihong is only eighteen years old this year, still a half-grown child. As a mother-in-law, she cannot be too harsh to her daughter-in-law when she just comes home.
She brought in three boiled eggs, one for Daya, one for Jiao Huilan, and put the remaining one in Tao Aihong's bowl.
Tao Aihong was a little angry at first, but she didn't expect that she would have eggs to eat. She felt flattered for a moment.
She peeled the egg and put it in her bowl. The egg was so delicious. She could not eat one a year when she was at home because all the eggs at home were exchanged for salt. After eating, she was still a little hungry and stretched her head to look at the egg in the bowl, but her eyes were sour. Her mother-in-law didn't say a word of courtesy, so she couldn't help but curl her lips and lowered her head to eat the meal in shame.
Zhen Zhen smiled and peeled an egg for Daya, "An egg a day is essential for nutrition!"
"Grandma, the eggs smell good. Mom eats them, Daya eats them, and Grandma eats them too!"
Jiao Huilan still felt that it was a waste to eat eggs, but her mother said that her baby was almost eight months old and that the baby needed to be well supplemented with nutrition as he grew up, and that an egg a day was essential. After eating them for a while, she also felt that eggs were very fragrant, and when dipped in sesame oil and chopped chili peppers, they were simply a delicacy!
Who doesn’t like such delicious food?
Just as Jiao Huilan was about to share her eggs with her mother-in-law, Meng Daguo reached out and peeled one for Zhen Zhen as well.
"Mother, Daya is right. You are the oldest and weakest, so you need to supplement your nutrition. You should cook an egg for yourself every morning. If it is not enough, we can raise another chicken next year. We are afraid of being seen at home, so we can raise a chicken in the mountains. There is always a way."
Zhen Zhen smiled and said with emotion:
"Daguo is great. The other day he was picking up food for his wife, and now he knows how to be filial to his mother. It is a blessing for me to have a son like you in my previous life!"
Meng Daguo smiled foolishly. It turned out that if he was nice to his mother and his wife, he would be praised by his mother.
Jiao Huilan also felt warm in her heart.
Rural people don't know how to talk about love, and she didn't marry Meng Daguo out of love. She originally just planned to live in a muddle and muddle through her life. Who would have thought that as time went by, her mother-in-law treated her well and her husband also learned to care for others.
Last night Meng Daguo asked her whether her child was obedient and whether his legs and feet had cramps.
Although it's nothing, she didn't get this kind of treatment when she had her last child! In the final analysis, this is all thanks to her mother-in-law!
Jiao Huilan sniffed. How come she ended up with such a nice mother-in-law?
Meng Eryong was furious. His mother used to praise him, but now she took the initiative to praise his elder brother. His elder brother was as dumb as a cow, how could he compare with him? In the final analysis, it was this daughter-in-law who held him back! Thinking of this, he couldn't help but glare at Tao Aihong, which made Tao Aihong shudder.
After dinner, Zhen Zhen calculated the time. Jiao Huilan had been pregnant for almost eight months. Her first child was born prematurely, and this one might be born prematurely as well. Besides, the original book also said that the weather was very cold when Jiao Huilan gave birth to her second child, and it might be during the Chinese New Year.
It is normal to give birth in eight or nine months, so we should always prepare in advance.
There is a hospital in the town, but the medical level is poor and medicines are scarce. For example, a common fever medicine is rarely used in city hospitals because of its serious side effects, which often cause children to become deaf and mute. However, it is always used in rural hospitals. Children often become mute because of taking the wrong medicine for fever.
Zhen Zhen doesn't want Jiao Huilan to give birth to a child in town.
Meng Daguo listened to her and said, "Mom, giving birth is a small matter for women. Many women in our village give birth at home. It's okay for her to go to the town, but why does she have to go to the county? How much money will it cost! It's not convenient for us to take care of her!"
Meng Daguo still held the old idea that since she was a girl, there was no need to mobilize so many people, otherwise it would be embarrassing if it were made public.
When the villagers talk about it, they will definitely say: "It's just a little girl, and the Meng family still takes her seriously!"
Zhen Zhen glanced at this cheap son!
It's really true that a great person gives birth to a small person. If Meng Daguo was her man, she would definitely pick up a kitchen knife to teach him a lesson. But this is her son, and she can't put her own son back. She can only reform him slowly!
"Daguo, giving birth may seem simple, but it can be fatal. When your mother gave birth to you, she had stomach pain for a whole day and night before giving birth to you. I really wanted to die! When Huilan came to our Meng family, we didn't have a good life for a few days, but she gave birth to two children for you. She was pregnant and served the whole family. We, the Meng family, can't treat such a good woman badly!"
Meng Daguo is a fence-sitter. He originally thought that there was no need to go to the county town, but since his mother said that he should not let her down, then he should not let her down!
Besides, Jiao Huilan is his wife and the baby in her belly is his. If her mother doesn’t feel sorry for the money, then he shouldn’t feel sorry for it either!
Meng Daguo smiled and said, "Mom, I'm not afraid of spending money. Eryong is getting married now, Huilan is going to the county town, and Tao Aihong is also going to the county town. Where can we get so much money?"
"As for the money, you don't have to worry. Since I gave birth to three sons, I am ready to work like a slave for you. It doesn't matter if I work a little harder. As long as your children are healthy and your family is harmonious, I will be satisfied."
"Mom! Don't worry, Huilan and I will be filial to you!" Meng Daguo said with tears in his eyes.
Zhen Zhen curled her lips and thought to herself, don't worry! As for the matter of taking care of her in her old age, everyone in this family will take care of her, and no one can escape!
Meng Daguo went to Dachuan's house to borrow a cart and prepared straw and quilts in advance, planning to send Jiao Huilan to the city on the right day.
If a child is to be born in the family, we have to prepare wedding steamed buns and eggs in advance. Daya goes to the mountain to catch insects every day to feed the chickens, hoping that the chickens will lay more eggs. Unfortunately, the two chickens only lay two eggs every day.
Zhen Zhen asked Jiao Huilan to buy some eggs from families in the village who had them. Everyone knew her family's situation and was willing to sell eggs to them. Zhen Zhen occasionally even exchanged them for pork, which made each family even more willing to take advantage of the deal.
After Tao Aihong finished her housework, she saw Zhen Zhen's jar of eggs and went back to her room and said to Meng Eryong:
"Why did mother prepare so many eggs for my sister-in-law? I counted them and there were about 100 or 200 of them!"
Meng Eryong was stunned. "My sister-in-law is going to be in confinement after childbirth. What's wrong with eating some eggs?"
"What else is wrong? There are only a few eggs at home, and they were all given to my eldest sister-in-law. What should I eat during my confinement?" Tao Aihong touched her belly. "Besides, I am pregnant with the eldest grandson of our Meng family! Shouldn't all the delicious food at home be given to this only grandson?"
Meng Eryong also thought that his son should eat better, but he didn't dare to challenge his mother.
"If you are dissatisfied, go and tell Mom. What's the point of telling me?"
"I...how dare I look for my mother! As her son, you should talk to her properly!"
"Enough, why are you talking so much nonsense? Mother buys all the food and drinks at home, it's not your turn to be the boss!"
Tao Aihong was very angry with him, but then she thought that at least her mother-in-law did not treat her unfairly, so she swallowed her dissatisfaction.
The sun was warm, and Zhen Zhen was ready to eat the sausages she had made. She asked Jiao Huilan to cut some and steam them in the rice, and she also took some spareribs from the space to make garlic ribs! The ribs looked full, but there wasn't much meat. Besides, there were many people in the family, and the farmers had big appetites, so this plate was not enough.
Zhen Zhen was thinking about stewing a few pig's feet. He stewed the pig's feet with soybeans in a large grass pot. The meat was stewed till it was ramen, and the soup was full of collagen. You could see the tendons when you inserted your chopsticks, and the aroma made people sniff.
It happened that the village was distributing meat. Jiao Huilan said that Daya had been grinding her teeth recently, so she asked Meng Daguo to bring back some pig tails and stewed them with the pig's feet. She asked Daya to stand behind the door and eat the pig tails.
It is said that if you eat it, you will stop grinding your teeth.
This table full of meat, paired with the fragrant rice, made the Meng family members full.
Daya's mouth was full of oil, "Grandma, the pig's tail is curly, why doesn't it curl up when I eat it?"
Zhen Zhen smiled, "Grandma wants to know too. Why don't you go to the pigpen and ask the old sow, see what she says, and then come back and tell Grandma."
Daya blinked her eyes and said, "The pigpen is too dirty. Daya likes cleanliness and doesn't want to go there."
"That's a pity. I think you and the old sow are the only ones in our family who have something in common to talk about."
Daya was very proud, "Grandma, I not only have common topics with sows, but also with hens, ducks and geese!"
“You are awesome!”
On the 28th day of the lunar month, Zhen Zhen inspected the house. In addition to the old hen left for Jiao Huilan to eat during her confinement, the family stewed pork, pig's trotters, and ribs, stewed six fish, two ducks, stuffed sausages, made meatballs, wrapped a hundred large meat buns, three hundred dumplings, thirty brown sugar cakes, and some noodles.
A cursory glance would tell you the same thing.
"We need to get some lard at home." Lard is saved for cooking, and the lard residue can be used for cooking or eaten dry.
Zhen Zhen really likes eating pork dregs. It happened that the brigade had just distributed pork, and each family received a few pounds. Together with the food in her space, there was no shortage of food for the family this New Year.
Jiao Huilan agreed, "Mom, I don't know when I'm going to give birth. I'll make more of your favorite food. I'm worried that I'll be in confinement and other people's food won't be tasty and you won't like it."
Tao Aihong is the kind of person who can only run two steps if given a stick.
If you urge her with a stick, she can do her job well, but if you don't watch her, she will be lazy.
More importantly, Jiao Huilan felt that she was not considerate. When she was in confinement, would Tao Aihong be able to cook delicious meals for her mother-in-law like she did? Jiao Huilan was really worried!
Zhen Zhen raised an eyebrow, "Mom is so old, how can she not have something to eat?"
Jiao Huilan laughed secretly, "Oh my god! Although you are older than me, you are far worse than me at farm work and cooking!"
Zhen Zhen was mocked by her daughter-in-law and pretended to be angry, "This is outrageous! I can't live like this anymore! Whose mother-in-law is worse than mine?"
Jiao Huilan kept giggling, and Daya was also giggling beside her.
As soon as Tao Aihong went out, she saw all the women in the family laughing. She couldn't help but pursed her lips and hid in her room to take a break.
On the 29th of February, Zhen Zhen finally got the news she had been waiting for for two months. She received a reply to her letter.
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