Chapter 25
When Meng Hua entered the room, Zhen Zhen was leaning against the bed knitting a sweater. The sweater had already been knitted and was neatly folded at the head of the bed. Perhaps because of the extra wool, she had also knitted a pair of men's gloves with a halter wool rope.
Meng Hua doesn't like to wear this thing, but if his mother weaves it for him, he will wear it reluctantly.
The complaints of the past few days disappeared.
Meng Hua glanced at his mother's quiet and gentle profile. There was no doubt that his mother was beautiful. A beauty would remain a beauty even when she was old. Even if she had given birth to four children at this age, she still looked great.
However, my mother used to look fierce and calculating, but now she seems to be mellowed by the years. I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s just different.
He didn't say a word after he came in. Zhen Zhen glanced at him and continued knitting without saying anything.
Meng Hua originally thought that her mother would give him a chance to step down, but after waiting for a long time and getting no response, she angrily opened the curtain and left.
While eating, Zhen Zhen walked into the kitchen with a sweater.
Zhen Zhen smiled and unfolded the sweater. "Daguo, the sweater is ready. Try it on. If there's anything that doesn't fit, I'll make some changes."
Meng Daguo responded happily. His mother only knitted a sweater for him, which was a blatant favoritism!
He tried it on and found that it was not as tight as other sweaters, which made him feel breathless when he wore it. The cut of this sweater was slightly wide and loose, and it was really comfortable. No one else had this feeling.
He has never worn such nice clothes in his life.
"Oh my! This sweater is so comfortable! Second and third brothers, you have never seen this style before, right? This style is so comfortable to wear!"
Show off! Some people are better off not having a mouth!
Meng Eryong rolled his eyes and said, "Mom, where is mine? Why do you only weave it for my brother and not for me?"
Zhen Zhen smiled and said, "We don't have enough wool tickets. Your brother's sweater has several holes in it, but yours is still wearable. I'll think of a way. When I find wool that suits your skin color, I'll knit it for you."
Meng Eryong felt relieved after hearing this.
The mother matched the color of the wool according to the skin color, and she was not deliberately favoring the eldest brother. Besides, the eldest brother's clothes were really shabby, so he could still accept it.
Meng Hua's face darkened, and he stared at Zhen Zhen accusingly. When their eyes met, Zhen Zhen's eyes were gentle and his expression was calm.
But he put down his chopsticks and went back to his room without even eating.
Jiao Huilan was also happy for Meng Daguo.
Daguo once said that he had never worn a decent piece of clothing since he was a child. In previous years, his mother bought several new clothes for his third brother, but never bought any for him, always saying that he was younger and should be given more space. Unexpectedly, it was his turn to wear new clothes.
Seeing Meng Hua running out, she worriedly said, "Mom, my third brother hasn't eaten yet. I'll go inside and call him."
"Don't go!" Zhen Zhen sat down and poured himself a bowl of porridge. "He's not a child anymore. He doesn't get angry and need others to coax him. He can eat if he wants! If he doesn't want to eat, don't leave him any food. Just let him go hungry!"
Jiao Huilan was a little worried. She had specially cooked wild boar today. Although wild boar was not as delicious as the domestic pork her mother bought, it was still fresh and delicious to have once in a while. If she didn't eat it today, it would be difficult to eat it next time.
Tao Aihong was eager to do so, as Meng Hua had a big appetite and if there was one less person eating, she could eat a few more chopsticks.
With this sweater and the money he had just earned, Meng Daguo was completely proud of himself in this family.
In the past, my mother favored the third child and would always scold and beat him. She never looked down on him and he was completely insignificant at home.
Not to mention his second and third brothers, even the hens at home wouldn't even look at him.
Now that his mother is so good to him, he has a body like his father, tall and straight. He has well-defined abdominal muscles from years of hard work, and he looks very stylish in his new sweater.
Meng Eryong just couldn't stand the way he looked and felt sour inside.
"Mom, why are you only eating porridge? You should eat more vegetables!" Meng Daguo picked up some vegetables for his mother.
Zhen Zhen smiled and said, "Mom is losing weight, Daguo, you eat it!"
Meng Daguo's eyes widened, thinking that his mother was becoming more and more outrageous. She could even say something like "lose weight"!
Rural people can’t even afford to eat, so how can they have the energy to lose weight?
"Mom, my dad is gone. Who are you losing weight for?" Meng Eryong asked while holding pork ribs.
Zhen Zhen thought to herself, if you don't know how to nag, then stop nagging. Why does Meng Daguo have a sweater but you don't? Think about it.
"Women lose weight not for men to see. The fact that you still control your weight when your father is not around shows that I set high standards for myself."
As the weather is getting warmer, she also wants to control her weight.
The original owner was a lazy glutton, lying down all day long. She relied on her mother-in-law's status to do the job of managing the store at a young age, and she still had some fat on her belly.
Zhen Zhen has been doing sit-ups these days, hoping to sculpt her body and regain her girlish figure.
Jiao Huilan glanced at her belly. Her mother had lost weight, but she was still eating seven big meat buns in one meal. She immediately decided to eat one less.
Tao Aihong sneered in her heart, a widow is losing weight! Is she trying to hook up with someone?
Tao Aihong waited for a long time but her mother-in-law didn't say anything about the money division, so she kicked Meng Eryong. Meng Eryong got angry, but he couldn't show it, so he just smiled and asked:
"Mom, Aihong wants to go back to her parents' home. We just made some money. Can each family get a share?"
Zhen Zhen had never thought about keeping all the money in his own hands, and he also hoped to split up the family and live in peace, but since the family had not split up, he had to be more careful with the money.
We need to build a house, and conservatively estimate it will cost seven or eight hundred dollars. If we want to make the toilet better, the money we have on hand will not be enough.
But we can't not give it to them, because young people who just got married also need to live, right?
Buying something to bring back to my parents' home, buying some clothes or a pair of shoes, etc., are all normal needs.
Zhen Zhen smiled, "I was just about to tell you about this. We eat meat every day at home, so even if we have some money, we can't help spending it. What's more, we have to build a house this year, and Aihong is going to give birth in June, so we have to save some money just in case. So each family will share ten yuan, and you can go shopping, how about that?"
Jiao Huilan had no objection. She thought that it was good enough for the daughter-in-law who had not divided the family business to have one or two yuan in her hands. After all, the whole family did not earn even a hundred yuan last year.
Tao Aihong curled her lips, thinking that her mother-in-law was really stingy. She only gave her ten yuan when she had so much money. She was planning to buy her a pair of leather shoes and get her hair permed!
She has to give some money when she goes to her mother's house, otherwise how can her mother let her go?
Daya was lying on Zhen Zhen's rocking chair. Today the wind was light and the weather was warm, so Zhen Zhen asked Jiao Huilan to take Erya out to bask in the sun to replenish calcium. Jiao Huilan then put Erya in Daya's arms and asked her to hold her.
Daya was afraid that her sister would be cold, so she hugged her sister tightly. Her sister's body was very warm, fragrant and milky, and it could also keep her warm.
She was addicted to hugging, sucking on her sister's soft little face.
"Grandma, Arya is getting prettier and prettier!"
Isn't it? The eyes are round like grapes, fragrant, soft, and sticky. I like them at first sight.
Zhen Zhen smiled and teased Erya, and Erya grinned as well.
“The child will laugh.”
Jiao Huilan also thinks Erya is smart. When she gave birth to Da Ya, she had nothing to eat. Da Ya was born thin and small, and didn't seem to have a very bright brain. The younger sister eats well and seems to be much smarter than her older sister.
But her mother-in-law didn't let her say such things, for fear of hurting Daya.
"You have to treat both children equally. You can't say that the older sister is bad and stupid just because the younger sister is born. Children are sensitive and will remember it."
Jiao Huilan remembered what her mother-in-law said, and replied with a smile:
"As smart as her sister."
Daya was very happy to be praised by her mother, and she liked Erya even more.
Zhen Zhen went back to his room and took out twenty yuan to share between his two daughters-in-law. They were both very happy to get the money. Tao Aihong went out at that time, probably to buy snacks.
When she returned to the room again, Meng Hua was sitting on the bed sulking. He pursed his lips and said nothing. Zhen Zhen didn't want to pay attention to him either. It was quite shameful that her son was such a person.
"Mom! I feel like you have changed! You are no longer the mother who loves me!" Meng Hua suddenly spoke.
You could hear a pin drop in the room. Zhen Zhen asked slowly:
"What is a mother who loves you like?"
"Mom used to love me the most. No one in the family was as important as me. If she wanted to knit a sweater, she would definitely knit it for me. How could you knit it for your eldest brother?"
"Oh?" Zhen Zhen was about to laugh. "It's OK to weave it for you, but not for your elder brother? Why? Your elder brother was also born by me, and he's my first child. Why can't I be nice to him?"
Meng Hua choked and was speechless.
Mother was right. She had three sons, and there was nothing wrong with loving the eldest brother. But he was used to his mother favoring him, used to his mother giving him all the good things, used to being the beneficiary of the family, used to his eldest brother working hard and him enjoying the benefits in the end.
He was used to it, but his mother suddenly took back her preference!
How can this be possible?
"Mom, I still want you to be like before, saying that everything your son does is right, everything your son does is good, and you give me all your love!"
Zhen Zhen suspected that these three boys have not been weaned yet. How old are they and why are they still so attached to their mother?
The original owner finally gave all the demolished houses to his youngest son. In Zhen Zhen's view, this is the most taboo thing. Being so partial to others is blocking one's own path.
She gave it to her younger son, but her younger son did not provide for her in her old age. Zhen Zhen would not do such a foolish thing!
She wants to let Meng Hua know what is right and what is wrong.
"Impossible."
Meng Hua raised his head suddenly, with a hurt look in his eyes, "Mom!"
"Meng Hua, right is right and wrong is wrong. You were wrong about Cheng Su. I can't go against my conscience and pretend nothing happened just because you are my son. You are my son, I can love you and protect you, but if I try to smooth things over on this matter of principle, you will get deeper and deeper into trouble. I don't want you to be a person who will do anything for the sake of profit."
Meng Hua was about to explode with anger, "Mom!"
No matter what this person says, it doesn't make sense. It's just a waste of time.
Zhen Zhen picked his ears and also got angry.
"Why are you yelling? I'm deaf! If you weren't my son, I would have kicked you into the toilet long ago! It's better to have a son like this than a turd. Rolling around! Just looking at you makes me annoyed!"
Meng Hua was really angry and slammed the door and left.
The quarrel was so loud that Jiao Huilan could hear it from her room. She was a little worried, so she carried Erya in to ease the atmosphere. When she saw her brother-in-law running away, she said, "Mom, I'll go look for him! Mother and son don't hold grudges overnight."
"No need to look for it, go wherever you want!" Zhen Zhen said as she continued knitting.
It’s not that she didn’t want to knit for her other sons. She had no intention of being partial. When she bought the yarn, there would definitely be some for the others.
But there has to be a first come first served order. Meng Hua can’t even finish wearing all his clothes, but he still wants to be close to him for everything. What a habit!
Zhen Zhen was inexplicably angry at the disturbance caused by her third son.
In the evening, I soaked my feet while knitting, planning to knit a cardigan for Jiao Huilan. I would use a popular style in later generations, make it a little longer and more elegant, and choose the blue and green style in her room, and add some nice buttons.
If possible, knit her a nice scarf. Cardigan and scarf are a perfect match.
Jiao Huilan now has beautiful skin and knows how to appreciate beauty, but she just doesn't know how to dress up and wears clothes mainly for practical purposes. Zhen Zhen plans to transform her and make her confident.
She drew a pattern, but the sweater was too wide and as a novice she was afraid she wouldn't be able to knit it well, so she started very cautiously and it took her a while to figure out where to start.
Feeling her feet were cold, she filled a basin with hot water to soak her feet. After soaking for a while, the water became cold and she added some more water. In this way, she used up the whole pot of hot water, but found that she didn't bring a foot cloth.
The foot cloths are hanging out to dry in the yard. If I wear shoes outside now, my shoes will get wet, and if I hang them out to dry, my feet will get frozen.
As he was hesitating, he caught a glimpse of Meng Hua's sweater at the end of the bed.
Good boy! I told you to make me angry. You made me so angry that my heart aches. I have never been angry by a man in my two lifetimes, and you come out here to seek a sense of existence.
The more Zhen Zhen thought about it, the angrier he became. He picked up the sweater and had evil thoughts in mind. Well, you are up to no good, so I might as well use your sweater to wipe my feet.
Wiping your mother's feet is the best way to show filial piety.
The more she thought about it, the more feasible it seemed to her. Her feet were frozen and hurt, and Zhen Zhen's nose felt sore. She couldn't help but sniff and tightly grasped the black sweater.
Whatever, just use this to wipe it! If you leave it out any longer, you'll catch a cold.
Meng Hua has been staying at his friend's house these days. His friend has a large family and three children sleeping in one room. At night, they snore, fart, grind their teeth, and so on. The room is extremely cold and he almost caught a cold. No matter what, he doesn't want to sleep outside today.
After thinking about it, a quarrel is a quarrel, but it is better than catching a cold. There is no need to make yourself so upset!
After running around the mountain, he finally calmed down a bit and planned to return without saying a word to let his mother know that the consequences of making him angry were serious.
Who knew that as soon as he walked to the door, he saw his mother holding his sweater in a daze. She looked so sad, and it was obvious that she was missing him by the sight of the sweater!
Meng Hua couldn't help but raise the corners of his lips.
Really! I cursed him, but I couldn't bear to let him go. It's only been a short time since he left, and I miss him so much? Yo yo yo! Look! My nose is sore. Is she going to cry?
His own mother, she has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. No matter how decisive she says, she still can't let him go in her heart.
Thinking about it carefully, his actions these times were indeed quite foolish. His mother was right, what he did was indeed too risky. It was just that he was too embarrassed to apologize. But how could there be any overnight grudge between mother and son?
Meng Hua opened the door, walked forward and took the sweater.
"If you miss me, just tell me! You didn't say it in your heart, and you scolded me so harshly! Even if I was wrong, you could have reminded me tactfully. You scolded me in person, which made me lose face! Even if this matter is in the past, I apologize to you. I hope you don't take it to heart, and don't cry behind my back anymore. Your tears make me sad."
Zhen Zhen: ???
Why are you still doing self-tactics? What happened in the middle?
After Meng Hua finished speaking, he still had an expression of pride and desire for praise.
Zhen Zhen was speechless for a moment, then patted his head and said kindly:
"Huahua, my good son! You have grown up!"
Meng Hua was so embarrassed that he couldn't raise his head.
In early spring, the weather was warm, so Zhen Zhen went to the black market to order some cloth and asked Feng the tailor to make a few new sets of bed sheets for her family. She chose light green plaid ones for her room and gave the popular large floral ones to her daughter-in-law.
This time even Tao Aihong couldn't find any fault with it. She couldn't let go of the new sheets. What a great material! Her mother-in-law is so generous!
Mrs. Meng's daughter, Meng Li, is getting married this month. Zhen Zhen took out two bottles of vanishing cream as a gift, but felt that it was not enough, so she made a set of bedding and gave it to her.
"Why did you give me such an expensive gift again?"
My mother at my parents' home had prepared things like bed sheets, but there was no money at home, so Mrs. Meng only gave me ten yuan as a dowry and two wooden boxes. The rest were small items that were not presentable.
The bed sheets given by my second brother’s family came in very handy!
The two families have been in frequent contact recently, and Mrs. Meng has become close to her sister-in-law.
"Meng Li's man is here, please keep an eye out for me."
The man's name is Zhou Changsheng. He is a regular worker at the county flower factory. He earns 25 yuan a month. The salary is good and he is an honest man.
"I have high standards. I didn't like any of the girls I met, so I delayed the process. It's also because my Meng Li is lucky that she got such a great deal. Otherwise, with our family's conditions, how could we have such a good marriage!"
Mrs. Meng was very satisfied. Zhou Changsheng was handsome and tall. His family had a 60-square-meter house. His four sisters were all married. His parents were also employees in the county, so the family had no burden.
It's hard to find a man like this even with a lantern!
Mrs. Meng: "What do you think?"
Zhen Zhen glanced at Zhou Changsheng. This man was too handsome and looked arrogant. His attitude was a bit perfunctory after entering the house, and it was obvious that he looked down on Meng Li's family.
The salary is not low and the family has a house. Why would such a man look for Meng Li?
It’s not that Meng Li is not good. Meng Li looks good, works in the city, earns 15 yuan a month, and loves to dress up.
But Zhou Changsheng must have better choices. Besides, being 28 and still unmarried is very rare these days.
Zhen Zhen reminded: "We should investigate carefully, what if there is something hidden from our family?"
Mrs. Meng didn't take it seriously. "What's the problem? The boy has a good family, is handsome, and is in good health."
"Getting married after knowing each other for just over a month is too hasty!"
"Their parents are waiting to have a grandchild, don't rush them!"
Zhen Zhen didn't say anything. The wedding date had been set anyway, and it was too late to say anything more. She hoped that she was just worrying too much.
Meng Li was pleasantly surprised to see the vanishing cream she gave her as a gift. She didn't expect that there would also be a set of bed sheets. She expressed her gratitude a lot.
Several sisters-in-law were envious and said that this aunt was very generous.
Meng Li was in a hurry to get married, and her family was too busy to take care of her, so Zhen Zhen asked her three sons to go over and help. Zhou Changsheng lived in the county town, so he picked Meng Li up on his bicycle. The wedding was over without much preparation at her parents' side.
On the day of the return visit, Zhen Zhen was also called to sit at the table. Zhou Changsheng and Meng Li were both sitting at the table wearing red clothes. Zhen Zhen felt that Meng Li's smile was a little forced. After the banquet, she saw Zhou Changsheng lying drunk, so she called Meng Li over.
"Why are you unhappy?"
The two families had no contact before, and Meng Li had little contact with this aunt, but her gentle and caring tone made her trust her very much.
"Nothing much," Meng Li lowered her head, "I just feel that marriage is not what I imagined."
"Why is it different?"
Meng Li didn't know what to say, "It's just... it hurts a little when we do that. I feel uncomfortable every time because of the pressure. He also pinches me all the time. Sometimes I get marks all over my body."
Although Zhen Zhen had never experienced this before, the original owner had a lot of experience. It was normal to feel some pain the first time. If a man had no experience, he would get hurt if he couldn't control the strength well. As for leaving marks...
In some movements, there should be palm prints on the legs.
Zhen Zhen rookie pretending to be an experienced driver:
"It's easy to do this if you have no experience. Foreplay is very important. Men need to know how to arouse women's emotions. Only when both parties are relaxed and engaged can they feel it."
Meng Li blinked ignorantly.
"don't know."
What kind of foreplay is needed for something like that?
"The guy needs to add to the fun through kissing, caressing and other actions. He can't force it, otherwise the girl will get hurt! In short, you have to remember that this kind of thing has to be enjoyed by both parties. You must not let him be happy and then you suffer." Zhen Zhen warned.
Even her own mother had never said such words. Meng Li felt ashamed and grateful.
After the weather got hot, Zhen Zhen went to the county town and bought some cloth. He made clothes for Daya and Erya, and also made some boys' clothes for Tao Aihong's children. He specially selected cool cotton cloth, which becomes softer with each wash and is very suitable for children to wear.
She made several blouses with drawstrings for easy donning and doffing.
I also made a few pairs of pants with snaps on the bottom to make it easier to change diapers.
I also made a few bellybands and some thin blankets, but not much else. After all, the weather was hot and there was no air conditioning, so I couldn't wear too many clothes.
Tao Aihong could not find any fault with her mother-in-law in this regard. Moreover, her mother-in-law also made clothes for boys, which meant that she believed she could give birth to a son!
She must give birth to a son to make herself proud!
But the next day, when Tao Aihong saw that Da Ya and Er Ya both had beautiful clothes and each had two flowery skirts, she was no longer happy.
She went back to her room with a stern face and said to Meng Eryong:
"What does your mother mean? Not only did she make clothes for my son, but she also made clothes for the two girls! The family money was not divided and was spent together. They spent more money on the two children, and we only have one child and spend less. It's really a big loss!"
She fanned herself because she was hot.
Meng Eryong found her annoying, and he also felt that there was no need to be so nice to a girl. Girls would get married when they grew up, and it would be useless to be nice to them.
"Okay, it's just a few pieces of clothing, why bother with that?"
"Calculate! You say I calculate? Why do we always suffer losses? Last time when we sold the wild boar, you obviously put in a lot of effort, and in the end you only got ten dollars! Who knows if your mother secretly subsidized the first wife?"
Tao Aihong gained 80 kilograms, became rounder, and was not as pretty as before. Besides, they quarreled every day, and even the best-tempered man would lose his patience.
"Okay, Meng Hua doesn't even have a child yet, why don't you say you took advantage of Meng Hua?"
"Me! Can you blame me if he doesn't get married?"
Meng Eryong thought she was really making trouble and was so angry that he picked up a towel and went to the river to take a bath.
The next day, Aunt Yao from the village came to visit. As soon as she entered the house, she grabbed Zhen Zhen's hand and said cordially:
"Guizhi! I'm here to act as a matchmaker!"
Matchmaking? As far as I can remember, Aunt Yao was a famous matchmaker in the area, and she was the one who arranged marriages for half of the people in the village.
By the way, Meng Hua is 18 years old this year, which is old enough for marriage in the countryside.
Meng Hua was handsome and had attended high school before the Great Movement. He was considered well-educated in the village, and many people wanted to introduce him to a girl.
But Zhen Zhen doesn't want him to get married too early. She wants him to stay for a few more years and let him go to university after the college entrance examination is resumed.
Zhen Zhen smiled and said, "Aunt Yao, I'm afraid you'll have to make a wasted trip this time. My son Meng Hua is still young, and men should first establish a career before starting a family. I want to give him a few years to hone his skills."
Aunt Yao patted her hands meaningfully and said, "Guizhi, Meng Hua is young, so there's no need to rush. But you are not young anymore!"
Zhen Zhen: ???
"Daguo's father has been dead for many years. To be honest, it's not easy for a man of our age to stay alone in an empty house! Everyone knows that your Daguo's father was very brave in bed when he was young. You couldn't get out of bed for the first two days after your wedding. Later, every time Daguo's father came back from vacation, you couldn't walk properly! People in our village say that your Daguo's father is definitely a man among men in this regard!"
Zhen Zhen trembled and dared not speak. Is Daguo Daddy that fierce? However, in her memory, although the original owner had sex with Daguo Daddy only a few times, she still had deep memories of it.
Aunt Yao pulled Zhen Zhen and said in a tone of someone who had experienced it:
"You said you were used to eating meat before, how could you get used to it after being a vegetarian for so long? Haven't you heard that women are like tigers at the age of 30? It's really hard for women of this age to live alone!"
“No, no, no…”
"Mr. Chen and Mr. Zhou from the next village asked me to be their matchmaker. They both said they fell in love with you at first sight. Which one of them did you like? Mr. Chen works in a mine and earns 40 yuan. Many widows want to marry him! But he has his eyes on you! He is very good and he wants you. You must seize this rare opportunity! As for Mr. Zhou, he is honest and can do carpentry. If you marry him, you don't need to spend money to buy beds, wardrobes, tables and chairs for your family. You can even ask him to make a few new ones!"
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