Chapter 121 Sugar-coated Cannon
Speaking of which, it is still the mother who cares about the daughter.
It is not in vain that the daughter's food is given, because the daughter is rushing to show her filial piety. Yesterday, the eldest nephew and niece came to "see" me, and today the daughter's son went to visit the Jie family again. How could the mother not know her situation? She even specifically told the second sister to come and visit me.
It seems that the mother cares about them very much.
If it were in the past, she would definitely be moved to tears. She was also moved at this moment, but that emotion was mixed with some other feelings.
Her mother-in-law also said, "Your mother's method is specifically used to deal with honest people and stupid people. If they are both honest and stupid, it will be even more troublesome."
But she really loves her second brother and second sister.
When she was a child, she couldn't stand being hungry and stole a piece of sweet potato. When her mother
wanted to beat her, her second brother and second sister took the beating for her. Before she was five years old, she was too young, and her second brother said that she was not resistant to beatings, so her second brother and second sister took the beating for her.
The second brother said, "Anyway, I'm used to being beaten, and I don't mind the pain anymore."
Lin's mother also wanted to give some to her second brother and second sister-in-law while being filial to her mother, but her mother directly told him not to eat, and she kept it for her eldest son and grandson.
That's her mother, what can she do?
Can she watch her children say bad things about her mother? That's not possible, just like if her children say bad things about her to Panpan and Tiantian, she would feel uncomfortable.
Maybe she can only wait for her... Thinking of this, Lin's mother felt guilty again. As a child, how can she hope that her mother will die?
Isn't that a beast?
What else can she do?
Just endure it, just bear it. Who doesn’t endure it in this world?
If her son hadn’t divorced, she would have to endure her daughter-in-law all her life. When she closes her eyes, she will be completely free from worries and torment.
Mother Lin dreamed of falling into the river again at night, and no matter how hard she struggled, it was useless.
She often had this dream of falling into the river and almost drowning since she was a child, even before she knew that she was almost drowned when she was born.
Later, after her mother-in-law told her about it, she thought that it might be because she almost drowned when she was a child, although she had no memory, she was afraid.
This fear has always remained in her heart.
They sleep in the same bed, men and women and children in the same bed.
Mother Lin was struggling in a nightmare. She was originally holding Panpan, but Panpan rolled out.
Lin Shu was awakened by a small punch from Panpan. Lin
Shu went to Tiantian, who was sleeping soundly with Lin Xia holding her.
Lin Shu put Panpan's arm back into the quilt, and then stuffed her back into Mother Lin's quilt, and felt that Mother Lin was wet.
Did she have a fever? Why was she sweating so much?
Lin Shu took out a flashlight and saw that Mother Lin's teeth were clenched and she looked very uncomfortable.
She was startled and was afraid that Mother Lin would have a seizure, so she pushed her gently to wake her up.
Mother Lin sighed deeply and woke up, still a little confused.
"Ah, I had a dream, I'm not sick, don't worry."
Lin Shu got down to the ground wearing a cotton quilt, took a towel and stuffed it into Panpan's quilt to warm it up, and then wiped the sweat off Lin's mother.
Lin Xia also woke up, "Who peed on the kang?"
Lin Shu: "Our mother sweated in her dream."
Lin Xia: "The kang was a little hot at night."
While wiping the sweat off her body, Lin's mother couldn't help asking the daughter, "How do you think we can make your second aunt and second uncle live more comfortably?"
Apart from anything else, they have to eat well and dress warmly, right?
She couldn't sleep last night, and she couldn't figure out a solution after thinking for a long time. After thinking about it, it seems that she can only endure it.
But maybe the daughter has a solution?
Look at the powerful daughter of the third daughter, she was selected as an advanced person by the commune. Lin Yue and the second daughter can divorce smoothly thanks to her.
Some parents look down on their children no matter how mediocre they are. They always think that their children are not as good as themselves. Even if their children go to college or graduate school, they will not listen to their children. Instead, they prefer to listen to some colleagues, neighbors, or relatives who want to tell their children what to do.
Lin's mother is not like this. Lin's mother always thinks that she is ignorant and uneducated, blind and knows nothing. She likes to listen to knowledgeable people. So although she doesn't get along with her mother-in-law, she listens to her mother-in-law's advice. She also admires Fang Dihua and Lu Laodi and likes to listen to them.
The third daughter is different now. She is praised by the commune secretary. Of course, she is amazing.
She wants to hear the third daughter's method.
Lin Shu thought about it and realized that it was useless to split up the family because Mrs. Jie had her son under control, and now that the household registration was so strict, my second uncle couldn't go anywhere.
Take my second aunt for example. Her marriage was almost the same as splitting up the family, but she was still being controlled by Mrs. Jie.
It was impossible for Mrs. Jie to give up controlling her children.
It was also impossible for my second aunt and second uncle to give up being controlled by Mrs. Jie.
They didn't resist when they were young and rebellious, and they didn't wake up after being controlled for so many years. It was impossible for them to wake up when they were older and their thoughts became more rigid.
The key is that the way that Old Lady Jie controls them is not the kind of vicious and violent way that easily makes people rebel, but a long-term binding, like a thin wire, tightening little by little, until it is entangled in the flesh and there is no hope of escape.
Believe it or not, even if Old Lady Jie dies, their devotion will still be paid to Uncle Jie habitually and will not stop.
Because they have never learned to love themselves since childhood.
The best way is to stay away and cut off the transmission link between Old Lady Jie and them.
If they could go south to work in the 1990s, it would be good if it was not so easy to come back.
Now, there is really no way.
Mother Lin couldn't hear Lin Shu's movements for a long time, and sighed, "It's too difficult."
Lin Shu: "It's not that there is no way."
Mother Lin and Lin Xia were very interested, "What way?"
Lin Shu: "I heard from my father that there is a piece of wasteland on the other side of the river in our village that needs to be reclaimed. When the time comes, it will not belong to the production team, but will be distributed to the members as private plots?"
Mother Lin: "That's what they said. It seems to start after the tenth day of the first lunar month."
Lin Shu: "After the 15th, we have to start farming. My father and Lin Yue have to go to the commune in advance to prepare, so they definitely can't participate in the reclamation. Why not let my second uncle and second aunt help with the reclamation and let them help with planting and harvesting in the future, and you can subsidize them from time to time to have a full meal." To reclaim
wasteland, you must first dig out the stones and weeds in the wasteland, then shovel the land and pile up the soil, and then go to the river ditch to pick up the silt and cultivate the land. Anyway, it is very troublesome and cannot be done in a short time.
If it is done, it will be a once-and-for-all thing, and it can be used as cultivated land to grow crops.
There is no wasteland to be reclaimed in other villages, and there is only a river beach here in Linjiatun.
Lin's mother thought the third daughter's method was very good.
She was not greedy and never wanted to completely free her second brother from the sea of suffering. She thought that as long as she could help her second brother and his wife for a day, she would have enough to eat for a day, which was good enough.
But would my mother agree? If
my mother agreed, would my eldest brother and his wife agree?
Lin Shu said that everything was up to her.
On the sixth day of the New Year, Lin Xia took a bus back to the city to work. After her second sister left, Lin Shu's family went home after lunch.
On the way, Lin Shu asked Lu Shaotang to go to the Jie family and tell Mrs. Jie about asking her second uncle for help.
She brought a piece of red cloth to Mrs. Jie, which was not big, just enough to make a pair of red trousers.
She found that Mrs. Jie liked fresh colors very much, and was embarrassed to wear a red jacket and red cotton shirt, so she wore red trousers.
On the third day of the Chinese New Year, when the old lady lifted her clothes, she found that Mrs. Jie was wearing a pair of faded red trousers.
In addition, she also brought Mrs. Jie a few pieces of red date steamed cake.
This was made yesterday because Lin Xia was leaving, so Lin Shu brought her family together.
Lu Shaotang was responsible for mashing the date paste, and Lin Yue was responsible for removing the date skins through a sieve.
Lin Shu used the date paste to mix the brown sugar water with the dough, and when it rose, she put a few dates on it and steamed it directly in the pot.
There was no yeast powder and baking powder, it was purely made by the old dough, the effect was not so good, but the taste and flavor were first-class.
Especially Mrs. Jie and her friends had never seen steamed cakes made with yeast and baking powder, this was the best she had ever seen in her life.
During the Chinese New Year, the locals would make yellow rice and red date cakes. They were made of sticky yellow rice, but they did not ferment it. Instead, they kneaded the yellow rice flour and steamed it in a pan. When cooked, it was hard. When eating, they cut it and fried it in oil. If they didn’t want to use the oil, they would just steam it again. It was also good to eat it with sugar.
But Mrs. Jie was old, her teeth were not good, and her stomach’s digestion ability was also getting worse. She couldn’t eat this kind of sticky food.
The steamed cakes made by Lin Shu were very much to her taste.
Unfortunately, Lin Shu only brought her two small pieces.
Two pieces were enough for the old lady to eat for one meal. After tasting one piece, she couldn’t help but eat another one, leaving no more for her eldest son and grandson.
Then the old lady could only eat alone.
Sure enough, when Mrs. Jie saw that there were only two pieces, she was a little disappointed. She originally wanted to leave one piece for her eldest grandson to try, but he didn't finish one piece and ate the other one.
Xie Jinkui looked at her with pity, why didn't you leave it for me?
Grandma, you are too selfish, too exclusive, right? You
clearly left it for me before.
You didn't leave such delicious red date steamed cake for me?
I've never eaten it before!
Xie Jinkui was unhappy, but he was too embarrassed to show it in front of Lin Shu and Lu Shaotang, and he had to find topics to talk to Lu Shaotang.
But Lu Shaotang didn't want to talk to him at all, just thought he was noisy.
After eating the red date cake, Lin Shu showed the red cloth to Mrs. Jie, and sure enough, Mrs. Jie's old eyes lit up, and she smiled like a dry old chrysanthemum.
Lin Shu brought up the matter of letting the second uncle and second aunt help Lin's father to open up wasteland at the right time. "My father and Lin Yue are tractor operators and have to go to work in the commune. My mother has to take care of Baoer and has no time to go to open up wasteland. My second uncle and second aunt don't earn work points at home and still have to eat. It 's better for them to help my mother. My mother will also take care of the meals, saving food for grandma."
Lin Shu really grasped the mind of the old lady Jie.
The selfishness of the old lady Jie is that everything is centered on her. If she is happy, everything will be fine.
As for the housework that has to be done by others when the second uncle is not at home, she doesn't care, anyway, she doesn't have to do it.
Aren't there other grandsons and granddaughters-in-law? Besides, what
Lin Shu said is so right. The second son can do a favor and save food for the fourth daughter by working for her.
She didn't even need to ask her second uncle if he was happy or not. She had the final say, and he had to be happy even if he didn't like it.
Uncle Jie didn't have any objections, but Jie Jinkui and his aunt were not happy.
Who said that Uncle Jie had nothing to do at home?
They were still weaving straw boxes?
If those straw boxes were sold, would the production team give the money to the family?
"Grandma, if my second uncle goes to my fourth aunt's house..."
Old Mrs. Jie was savoring the rich taste of red dates and brown sugar in her mouth, looking at the red cloth, and she was so happy that she couldn't close her mouth. "Well, let them go, don't be lazy, and open up more wasteland for my fourth aunt's family. Your fourth uncle and his family are tractor operators. It's a proud thing to work in the commune. You will also be proud when you go out and talk about it."
So it was settled.
Of course, Second Uncle Jie was happy to do so. He was really willing to work hard. As long as it was family work, the eldest sister, the second sister, and the fourth sister were all the same. He would help without regrets.
He never thought that he could eat more at Fourth Aunt's house.
Old Mrs. Jie looked at Second Uncle Jie's tattered cotton shirt and trousers, with the black cotton sticking out and no cloth to patch the holes. She was generous for once and threw her tattered cotton trousers to him, "Take it and ask your wife to split the two into one, and don't go out and embarrass the old Jie family."
She smiled at Lin Shu's family of four, "Come often with the children in the future. This red date steamed cake is really delicious. When you come back home, you can teach me how to make it." Once she knew how to
make it, she asked her eldest daughter-in-law to make it for her all day long.
Lin Shu smiled as if she and Old Lady Jie were really close, with no gap between them. "I'll come to see you when the weather gets warmer."
If you want to eat steamed cakes, stay away from my mother, don't always try to control her.
After that, Lin Shu and her family left. Tiantian and Panpan said goodbye to Old Lady Jie reluctantly, and they cooperated with Lin Shu as if they were the closest to Old Lady Jie.
This is a family of drama queens.
After Lu Shaotang rode away with his wife and children, Jie Jinkui and Jie Jinlan were unhappy.
So this family came twice and didn't bring anything?
Normally, after killing the New Year pig, they should bring at least two pounds of meat and two big white flour buns,
right? But they didn't bring anything for everyone!
Last time, we had a meal of scrambled egg hand-rolled noodles
for free! The eldest aunt thought about the more than 30 yuan that Lin Shu asked for, a quilt cover, cotton, scissors and other things, and then saw the mother-in-law holding some red cloth and waving there, she was really upset.
Old Mrs. Jie rolled her eyes at her, "Don't be so frivolous. Lu's boy, come twice more, the brigade cadres will see you with a smile, you will walk in the village with your back straight, can you earn that face by yourself?"
The eldest aunt scolded in her heart: You say I am frivolous, aren't you? You were bought off for a piece of rag, and you even asked them to work for her parents. Are you old and confused?
Old Mrs. Jie was not confused. She only cared about her own comfort, especially when Lin Shu came to give her two pieces of millet and red date steamed cakes on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month! They
were even more delicious than the last time!
Of course, she still ate them herself, because they were just two pieces of steamed cakes the size of a child's palm. She herself was not full, so how could she give them to her eldest son and grandson?
Jie Jinkui was very jealous and squeezed Lin Shu's door to bring over those two small steamed cakes.
But Lin Shu didn't care. She said goodbye to Old Mrs. Jie happily and said she would come to see her later.
My second uncle and his wife were really capable. They were the most capable in reclaiming wasteland in Linjiatun. Moreover, they refused to eat more or eat good food, so Lin's mother had to cook them coarse grains.
Fortunately, the dried sweet potato paste mixed with cornmeal paste and fried pancakes and vegetables tasted better, so they ate them with peace of mind.
For this, Lin Shu thanked Mrs. Jie for two millet steamed cakes.
Xie Jinkui complained to Old Lady Xie, and Old Lady Xie explained for Lin Shu, "Why are you in such a hurry? Didn't feelings develop little by little? She misses me as her grandmother, so slowly, won't we get closer? This millet cake may look insignificant, but it contains brown sugar and red dates. How much stuff is that? You know her stingy mother-in-law, I don't know how long she hid it before making these two pieces for me. It's not easy."
When the girl gets closer to him, he won't have to ask for more and better things, right?
To fish, you have to take your time and let the fish take the bait willingly.
Zhao Meifeng felt the same way, she was hooked.
Before the end of the first month of the lunar year, he was already urging Lin Shu to take orders for clothes, so that she could help with buttons and hems.
She had to coax Lin Shu to return the money and cloth she had lent her!
But Lin Shu was like a normal person. After the Chinese New Year, the peak season for making clothes had passed, and only a few people would make summer clothes.
Fang Dihua and Old Man Lu were really impressed by Panpan's sweet talk about the Jie family.
Fang Dihua muttered to the old man: "If you give it to me, at most I will have a quarrel with the old woman. She is the elder and I will have to suffer a little. The third daughter-in-law is different. She is even better. Look at her little tricks."
She could imagine how anxious Mrs. Jie would be when she really fell in love with the third daughter-in-law and the third daughter-in-law ignored her. The
eldest son felt that life was tasteless if he couldn't eat the third daughter-in-law's food for a day. When the third daughter-in-law went back to her parents' home for a few days, his food intake was reduced by more than half.
Father Lu laughed: "This lesson is worth learning in vain. The third daughter-in-law and the third son are becoming more and more alike."
They are all the same group of people who are good at playing tricks, of course, they play tricks in different directions.
Fang Dihua: "You have to remind the third son to be honest and not to play tricks with his wife, or he will be punished later."
Look at the eldest son, he was disgusted with his wife's ugliness at first, but what's wrong
with him now? He licks his wife all day long for fear that his wife will dislike him.
Obviously, his wife is still so dark and strong.
Lu Shaotang has good hearing. He was a little speechless when he heard his parents mumbling. Now it's about himself, so he thought: I have given my money and heart to my wife, what tricks can I play?
Well, sometimes I have to play tricks at night, otherwise my wife will be lazy.
He was warned to collapse the kang all day long.
Late at night, Lu Shaotang embraced his already sleeping wife, stroking her soft and smooth hair. His parents only thought about how old lady Jie was addicted to eating steamed cakes, and what would happen if they couldn't eat them in the future. However, they didn't see that they didn't let the old lady eat enough every time, kept her appetite hanging, and even made Jie Jinkui choke.
It would be strange if Jie Jinkui didn't have any opinions about his grandmother after a few more times. You
kept talking about the good grandson and the precious grandson all day long, but you didn't give me the good things and you ate them yourself?
You didn't say a word of right or wrong, but you steadily instigated discord.
His wife is... She has changed completely compared to before.