Before Qin Xiaozhou and Lu Yunxing had even left the courtyard, Lu Yunfeng returned with two gray rabbits in the bamboo basket, and nothing else.
Zhao Fen couldn't help but scold him a couple of times, but Qin Xiaozhou didn't say anything. He just put the leftover food on the table. That night, the second rain after the New Year fell. It was just a light drizzle, and it stopped an hour later. There wasn't a drop of water from the eaves; only the surface soil was damp, and the air smelled of earth.
Qin Xiaozhou was worried about raising money, but she wasn't one to wallow in self-pity. So, early the next morning, she went into town again to inquire where she could buy milk. She couldn't raise enough money for a house, but some things couldn't be delayed. No matter what, she had to gather the ingredients to make desserts and cakes. If she didn't have a house, at least she could make and sell the ingredients. She couldn't stop moving forward. Even if she couldn't buy a house this time, as long as she sold things, she would eventually raise enough money to buy one.
She was about to leave when Wang Lan called out to her, "Where are you going?"
"Go to the county town and inquire about the milk trade."
Wang Lan was curious. No one in the family drank cow's milk. Lu Xiaosi had drunk it a few times, but it gave him diarrhea, so they didn't dare to feed it to him anymore. In those days, it was a rare commodity, and no one could afford to drink it casually. "Why did you buy that stuff?"
After her grandparents passed away, Qin Xiaozhou had been struggling on her own and hadn't yet developed the habit of explaining her whereabouts and plans to anyone. She was getting a little impatient. Wang Lan noticed her impatience and quickly said, "You don't need to go to the county town to ask. Dayun knows where to buy it. Just ask him."
As she spoke, Wang Lan called out to the brothers at their doorway, "Dayun, Dayun, get up quickly." She muttered to herself, "Strange, why aren't they up yet this morning?"
The more he thought about it, the more something seemed wrong. His eldest grandson was hardworking and observant; he wasn't the type to sleep in late. So, he anxiously went upstairs to push open the door and check on the situation.
Lu Yunxing came out of the kitchen, carrying a freshly made peanut and soy milk. "Grandma, don't call anymore, my brother has gone into the mountains."
Upon hearing this, Wang Lan slapped her thigh and started cursing Lu Yunxing.
Lu Yunxing hung his head, dejected. "I couldn't stop him."
Qin Xiaozhou didn't go to the county town. Instead, she carried a load of water to the chicken coop, then opened the gate and cleaned the chicken coop and yard. She washed the water trough and feed trough. Lu Yan brought in wheat bran and poured it into the feed trough. Only after everything was ready did she open the chicken coop door. The half-grown chickens chirped and swarmed out, scrambling for food and water. After the chicks had eaten most of their food, Lu Yan chased them all out before opening the doors for the hens and geese.
Qin Xiaozhou discovered a wooden trough, two meters wide and three meters long, in the corner of the fence. It contained water, and the geese would swim around in it a couple of times before going out, flapping their wings and preening their feathers.
She stood by and watched for a while before cleaning the chicken coop. She used a hoe to dig out the dead leaves and droppings, piled them in the corner of the fence, cut down some shrub branches to cover them, and then weighed them down with stones to prevent the chickens and geese from digging them up.
After finishing all that, Lu Yan came back during a break from letting the chickens out. The chickens followed her like little tails, but didn't say a word.
Qin Xiaozhou only asked after finishing her work. It was amazing that such a young girl could hold it in. If she didn't ask, she was afraid the girl would suffer internal injuries from holding it in. So she had to take the initiative to ask, "Tell me, what is it? If you don't tell me, I'll really grow a tail."
Lu Yan blushed, but still looked up at her and said, "Sister-in-law, do you not want my brother anymore? Did you kick him out of the house?"
"..." Qin Xiaozhou was speechless. He secretly made a few comments about Lu Yunfeng in his mind, but still wanted to comfort the little girl, "Your brother is very good. I didn't kick him out, but it's not a question of whether I want him or not. You're just a little kid, don't think so much."
Lu Yan pouted so much her lips could hang a soy sauce bottle. "You adults are so annoying. All you do is tell kids not to think too much or meddle too much. If you adults had done everything right, I wouldn't care. I just want you to always be my sister-in-law."
After her sister-in-law arrived, things started to improve in her family. Her grandmother, mother, and younger brother all got better. They raised chickens and ducks, ate well, and dressed well. This was the home she wanted. She was very happy. The more she thought about it, the more she felt that her sister-in-law had come to bring good fortune to their family. As soon as this thought came to mind, she ran down the mountain and said, "Sister-in-law, could you help me release the chickens for a while?"
Lu Yan ran home in one breath, pulled Wang Lan aside and told her her little idea, and instructed her, "Grandma, my sister-in-law is here to bring prosperity to our family. We should treat her well in the future and keep her happy in our family."
Wang Lan understood perfectly well that Qin Xiaozhou was capable, but also domineering, though fortunately she had no ill intentions. "If she's willing, how could our family not be? Look at these past two months, have I ever mistreated her? Don't even mention setting rules as an elder, your mother and I listen to her. How could we have treated her badly?"
In the village, it's common for elders to be in charge and mothers-in-law to set the rules, often putting the new brides down to establish their authority. But the Lu family has never bullied Qin Xiaozhou, and there's even a growing trend of Qin Xiaozhou taking charge. This kind of situation is unheard of, not only in the countryside but also in the county town.
“She doesn’t treat us like family, she treats us like… like a shopkeeper treating his employees.” Wang Lan thought for a while, and the more she thought about it, the more she felt that this new bride was treating the Lu family as her employees. After she married Lu Ji, she had enjoyed many good years. Lu Ji often took her to the county town to play and go shopping, and also took her to restaurants to eat. The restaurant manager treated the waiters exactly like Qin Xiaozhou treated the Lu family.
Wang Lan slapped her thigh and exclaimed, "Oh my, this granddaughter-in-law really treats this place like an inn!"
The more she thought about it, the more anxious she became. She simply headed towards the mountainside and hurriedly reached the chicken coop. She saw Qin Xiaozhou carrying a bamboo pole to release the chickens and wanted to say a few words. Her eldest grandson was hardworking and honest, with no bad intentions. He was handsome and upright, and many girls in the surrounding area liked him. Two or three years ago, the road in front of their house was almost worn down by the girls. It was only after he got engaged to a girl from the Lin family that those girls gave up on him. Unexpectedly, two years ago, the Lin family broke off the engagement, and girls from both inside and outside the village hesitated to approach him. This turned her eldest grandson from being admired by so many girls in the village into being ridiculed by the men in the village.
She wanted to say that her son was really good, a man who could manage a household, and that marrying him wouldn't be a loss. Women always have to get married and have children, and rather than finding someone who might not be any good in the future, it would be better to live a good life with Dayun. At least the Lu family wouldn't be harsh or abusive towards her. If she really wanted to be in charge, then everyone in the Lu family would listen to her.
Wang Lan took two more steps toward Qin Xiaozhou, but then realized that Qin Xiaozhou didn't like being nagged, so she couldn't bring herself to say anything.
Qin Xiaozhou chased away an eagle and returned to find Wang Lan pacing at the entrance of the chicken coop. "Grandma, what's wrong?"
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