The Lu family at the end of Wangjia Village was bustling with activity, and the rest of the village was not to be outdone. As soon as Wang Yehong entered the house carrying large and small bags, her grandmother pulled her over to look at her. "It's only been a few days, but you've gotten fairer and more beautiful."
Wang Yehong specially wore the uniform clothes from the embroidery building when she came back. Although they couldn't compare to those silks and satins, the clothes she wore were made of fine cotton, which was both comfortable and beautiful to wear. "Grandma, I came back early this morning, and I was tired and thirsty."
The village chief came out with his pipe. "Let the children come inside and have some water first. I heard they can stay home for three days. They have so much to talk about."
The whole family surrounded Wang Yehong, and she was very pleased. She opened the package and took out the things she had brought back, first an eight-inch cake and six mooncakes. "These were all given to us by Sister Qin. She said they were a perk for us."
"You silly girl, although the Lu family are from out of town, they are registered in our village. You should call her Sister-in-law Lu, not Sister. You're messing up the generations." The village chief's wife scolded her granddaughter, but her eyes were on the things she brought back. "Oh dear, the last time I ate this was several months ago when the Lu family's daughter-in-law sent it over. I didn't expect to be able to eat it again today."
The village chief's wife, along with several daughters-in-law and granddaughters-in-law, gathered around the cake, their eyes filled with nostalgia.
As they spoke, they couldn't help but swallow hard.
Wang Chao's wife stared intently at the cake. "Third Sister, this cake must be very expensive, right?"
Wang Yehong's face lit up with joy. "I heard that this stuff is made from the finest white flour, sugar, milk, and eggs. This size would cost 138 coins in the shop. Sister-in-law, I also brought back some leftover scraps of fabric from the embroidery shop. They'd make a handkerchief or shoe uppers, and they'd look nice."
After saying that, he took out another bundle of scraps of cloth, some large and some small, all irregular in shape, with soft and brightly colored fabric.
The women in the house had their eyes light up and started rummaging through scraps of cloth. “This piece is beautiful. You don’t even need to embroider it to make a handkerchief. You can use it directly. This material is also very comfortable. I’ve never seen such good material before. Third sister, you’re really good at wasting things now. Such good material can be used to make shoe uppers. And this long and thin piece can be cut and sewn to make a hair tie. It would look so pretty on your head.”
Wang Hongye did not refute, but only took out the wine and gave it to her grandfather. In private, she secretly hid the holiday money and did not tell anyone.
She didn't say anything, but not everyone in the village could keep it a secret. Wang Qing's wife, Zhao Chunhua, boasted about it all the way from the village entrance to her home, making everyone in the village envious.
His wife went to work in the county town, and just for the festival, she received so many things from the embroidery shop, plus a hundred coins as a festival allowance. He had never heard of such a thing before. Wang Qing was naturally overjoyed and almost flew away. He treated his wife like a goddess. As soon as Zhao Chunhua entered the door, he went up to her to take the package. "Siya, pour your mother some water. Mother, is the meal ready? My wife is hungry."
Wang Qing was the second oldest in his family. His parents were still alive, so none of his brothers' families had been divided; they all lived together in one place. Wang Qing's mother came out of the kitchen. "So you think you're something special just because you're an embroiderer? You still need your mother to cook for you?" she said, reaching out to Zhao Chunhua. "Where's the money?"
The news has spread throughout the village that the embroiderer will receive a festival bonus of one hundred coins.
Zhao Chunhua took out the money ingratiatingly, "Mother, not a penny less."
After saying that, she opened the package, took out mooncakes and distributed them to the children. There were five children under the age of fifteen in the family, including Zhao Chunhua's youngest daughter, who was only fourteen years old this year. She was thin and small, with dark skin, and only her teeth and the whites of her eyes were very obvious. Her body was covered with patchwork, and her hair was dry and yellow like straw. Zhao Chunhua handed her the mooncakes and said, "Eat quickly."
Wang Qing's mother snatched it away, saying, "What's a little girl like you going to eat? Hurry up and go to the field to harvest rice."
Zhao Chunhua looked at the sky and said, "Mother, it's already noon. The sun is strong, and it's time to eat. Let Siya go after we finish eating."
Wang Qing's mother carefully stuffed the mooncake into her youngest son's hand and urged Siya, "Go now, come on, you still want to eat? Getting married as soon as possible to get some dowry money is the most important thing."
Siya walked away timidly.
Zhao Chunhua was incredulous. She used to be unable to earn money, and her mother-in-law treated her badly and often bullied her children, but she never complained, after all, it was because she was useless. But now she was an embroiderer in the county town, earning about one or two taels of silver a month. She thought her mother-in-law would treat her well and look up to her, but why couldn't her fourth daughter eat the mooncakes she brought back, while her nearly thirty-year-old brother-in-law could eat them without a care in the world?
Anger rose in her chest. "Siya, there's no need to go."
Siya stood helplessly at the door. Wang Qing's mother, furious, reached out to twist Zhao Chunhua's ear, yelling, "You Zhao, how dare you defy the heavens..."
"I want to separate the family! I want to separate the family!" Zhao Chunhua's pent-up resentment exploded in an instant. "Siya, go and call the village chief over. I must separate the family today."
Wang Qingniang was almost furious. Clutching her chest, she cried out, "You've gone too far! You heartless bastard! My husband and I are still alive, and you dare to divide the family! Second son, get a stick and break your wife's legs, or she'll fly to the sky!"
The eldest sister-in-law said sarcastically, "Oh, so you think you're something special now that you've become an embroiderer? You want to leave us behind and live a good life."
The family of more than ten people were talking in a noisy commotion. Wang Qing was also startled by his wife's sudden words. "Wife, we can't separate the family. My parents are still alive. Listen to me, we won't separate the family. Quickly apologize to your mother, and this matter will be over. Don't mention it again in the future."
As Zhao Chunhua's anger subsided, she felt nervous and scared thinking about the words she had just blurted out about separating the family property. Now, with her husband's persuasion, her attitude softened, and she went along with it, saying, "Mom, don't be angry. I was just talking nonsense. I'll go cook right now."
Wang Qing's mother snorted and didn't press the matter further. She secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Zhao Chunhua was now a major economic pillar of the family. If they were to separate from the family, it would be like scraping flesh off her.
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