Xiao Dayong and Li Shi got along quite well. Seeing Xiao Yi return to the village in such a disheveled state, Li Shi felt a pang of sadness and couldn't bear it. She wanted to ask him something, but didn't know how to bring it up.
Xiao Dayong stepped forward and patted Xiao Yi on the shoulder.
"No matter what, it's good that you're back! I'll have Brother Song and Brother Bai go up the mountain to get some firewood for you, since it hasn't snowed yet and the mountain is closed off."
Who are these people?
Seeing that Xiao Dayong didn't ask any more questions or show any disdain, Xiao Yi felt a little better and said...
"This is me, my mother-in-law, and my wife. Chu Shi passed away due to an accident. This is my second wife, Qing'er, and my son, Bao'er."
Xiao Dayong and Li greeted each other.
"Mother-in-law, sister-in-law!"
Why don't you come over to our place first, warm up and have a meal? I'll have my two kids come over and heat the kang (heated brick bed) for you. We can tidy up these things later.
They had rushed back and were in a bad mood. They were also tired and hungry, so they reluctantly followed Li.
When Li returned home, she immediately had her two sons carry two large bundles of firewood to burn the kang (heated brick bed) on Xiao Yi's side. Then she went to the back mountain to chop two loads of firewood for them to use.
Remembering the kindness Xie Yushu had shown them when she was alive, Li felt uneasy as she made pancakes for them. Logically, since Xie Yushu and Xiao Yi were family, she should repay Xiao Yi for this favor. However, she thought that even though they were family, it was Xie Yushu who had helped her. Xiao Yi had always been too busy taking care of himself and hadn't treated them much, never making things difficult for them or helping them much.
The more I thought about it, the more uncomfortable I felt. I was originally planning to cook a few dishes for them, but I ended up just making a tofu soup instead.
Who knows what kind of people these two women are? She'd better wait and see.
The meal wasn't lavish, but it wasn't stingy for a farmhouse. Xiao Yi and his companions, who had been eating and sleeping outdoors all the time, didn't care about such things and wolfed down the food as soon as it was served.
After they finished eating, out of courtesy, Madam Li gave Bao'er two hundred copper coins as a greeting gift.
This is considered a great gift in the village; it was given according to the status of a close aunt.
Qing'er and the others were all people who had seen a lot of money. When they saw that Li had given them two hundred copper coins, they didn't feel that the gift was too heavy at all, and even thought it was a bit too little. Although they didn't show their displeasure in front of her, they didn't seem very happy either. They said thank you to the child's aunt and then put the money away.
His attitude was impeccable, but something always felt off, and I felt uneasy.
The closeness or distance between people is largely determined by language and emotions.
If Qing'er were closer, she could call her "sister-in-law," which would immediately bring them closer. If they were even more affectionate, Li Shi would definitely go over and help them tidy up.
But when she addressed him as "the child's aunt," she immediately distanced herself from him, making it sound as if she had no relation to Li Shi. This created a significant distance, and Li Shi became too lazy to bother with her.
After a few perfunctory words after the meal, they said the kang (heated brick bed) was almost warm and sent them home.
Xiao Dayong and his group of grown men were completely unaware of the subtle changes taking place. Instead, they had Song Ge and Bai Ge each carry a bag of cabbage and radishes, while they themselves carried a bag of potatoes and half a bag of flour, and delivered them over.
Madam Li didn't care about these things. After all, they had been cultivating Xiao Yi's courtyard all these years, so giving them some more wouldn't hurt. She just noticed that Granny Zhu and Ping'er didn't seem to like them.
She didn't know if it was just a preconceived notion, but she always felt that no one was as good as Xie Yushu.
But thinking about it, Xie Yushu is doing very well now, so she felt relieved. She had always felt indignant on Xie Yushu's behalf, but getting out of that mess was the right choice.
In fact, Xie Yushu had a significant impact on her. If she hadn't seen the path Xie Yushu had taken, she might still be that pushover, working like a slave under Old Madam Xiao's thumb!
Xie Yushu showed her another way to get along with her mother-in-law: don't get entangled in small things, and don't compromise on big things. Although it seemed like Xie Yushu was at a disadvantage at the time, those were just petty gains to her, none of them touched her core interests.
However, her petty gains unwittingly pushed Old Man Xiao and Old Lady Xiao into the abyss of desire, while Xiao Lao Si, who was clinging to them and sucking their blood, was now completely oblivious to his own mortality.
While half the reason is their own arrogance and moral depravity, if they truly cared for them, why would they keep making concessions?
Some people use petty tricks and schemes, while others plot against each other. Xie Yushu, however, plays an open game, blatantly indulging Old Madam Xiao and her ilk, turning them into universally despised rats, while she herself becomes the virtuous and accomplished Princess Jingde.
Even if someone tries to smear her, they won't be able to find any dirt on her.
That's really impressive!
Li only regretted that she was already a married woman. Now that she had grandchildren and younger siblings, this was all she could do for the rest of her life. If she were younger and twenty years old, she would have gone directly to Xie Yushu. Only a woman like that would make life more enjoyable!
Now, after arriving at Xiao Yi's house, Xiao Dayong couldn't help but ask Xiao Yi if he had been wounded on the battlefield and how he made a living with less than two acres of land.
The real concern was whether his younger brother had enough money to survive, since he was lame and had little chance of making money other than his brother.
If you are wounded on the battlefield, the imperial court will definitely provide a reward, and you will have a place to live.
Xiao Yi wasn't good at lying, so he told the truth.
"The Chu family made a big mistake, and I was implicated as well. When I came back this time, I was dismissed from my post and my property was confiscated. I don't have much money in my hands, just enough for us to eat and live on for a year and a half."
"If you know any crops that are profitable, please help us out!"
Besides this, Xiao Yi couldn't think of any other way to make money for the time being.
However, when Granny Zhu heard Xiao Dayong bring up this topic, she asked...
“Brother, you can see our difficulties. I won’t hide it anymore. Now that my daughter has married Xiao Yi, even if it’s tough and tiring, I have to help my daughter make a living and raise the children.”
But with just my son-in-law's two acres of land, even if I were willing to work hard, I still wouldn't be able to fill my stomach. You are his own brother, you can't bear to see your younger brother go hungry, can you?
To be frank, may I ask how many acres of land you all own?
If it were inherited from ancestors, Xiao Yi wouldn't only have two mu of land. I see your family of over ten people lives a comfortable life, not extremely wealthy, but with enough to eat and wear. This certainly isn't the harvest from two mu of land, is it?"
After Granny Zhu finished speaking, both Xiao Yi and Xiao Dayong's expressions changed. Xiao Yi said with dissatisfaction...
"My lack of land was due to my parents forcing me to retire there, it has nothing to do with my older brother!"
You should ask me directly about this; it's none of my business with my older brother.
Granny Zhu had anticipated Xiao Yi's reaction, and didn't care, instead saying...
"My dear nephew, please don't take offense, I wasn't targeting you."
And Xiao Yi, don't blame me for playing the villain. We can go hungry, but Xiao Bao can't! He's your own son, my own grandson. I can't bear to see him go hungry."
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