She just stared at the remaining food, her eyes full of thought.
Although the price of coarse grains in this village is not too expensive, only 8 cents per pound, it is still a considerable expense for their family.
Life at home was very tight and they really didn't have much money, so this time she just made up her mind and bought 100 kilograms of coarse grains.
Mrs. Li thought to herself that she had to eat this little bit of food sparingly. If she arranged it properly, she should be able to barely last for two months.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but frowned, and moved her eyes away from the food to look at the children who were helping her daughter-in-law cook.
It would be a waste for these money-losing kids at home to eat too much food. At least they have wild vegetables to fill their stomachs and they won’t starve to death.
But when she thought of her precious grandson Jinbao, her eyes softened instantly.
Jinbao, the child, suffered a lot while fleeing from the famine. The little bit of flesh he had grown with great difficulty was all lost after all the hardships along the way. Now he is so skinny that his bones are visible. It makes her feel distressed to see him.
It seems that Jinbao needs to eat more of the food at home and replenish the meat as soon as possible.
Mrs. Li stared at the pile of grain in front of her without blinking, her brows tightly furrowed, and the wrinkles on her face seemed to deepen a little.
As I was thinking, I somehow thought of Old Lady Yao again.
She couldn't help but start mumbling, her voice full of complaints: "That old lady Yao is really something. Why doesn't she buy more food when she can? Humph, she doesn't think about how expensive food is now. If she could buy more, maybe she could bargain with the grain store owner and get a lower price, so that I can buy more food."
Aunt Qin, who was sitting nearby, was just picking vegetables, but she had sharp ears. When she heard what Mrs. Li said, she immediately became alert and hurried over to ask, "Hey, do you think Old Lady Yao has some relationship with the owner of the grain store?"
When Mrs. Li heard this, her eyes widened, her face full of confusion. She turned to look at Aunt Qin and asked, "What's the relationship?"
Aunt Qin, realizing she had successfully piqued Mrs. Li's curiosity, deliberately lowered her voice and said mysteriously, "Look, Mr. Su has been gone for ten years now. It's not easy for Mrs. Yao to raise the children alone. Maybe she's thinking about remarrying. Do you think she's thinking about marrying the grain store owner and becoming his wife? That way, she can buy whatever grain she wants."
When Mrs. Li heard this, she seemed to be suddenly enlightened. She slapped her thigh fiercely, and the "slap" sounded particularly loud in this quiet place. She looked as if she had suddenly realized something, and said loudly, "Oh, I was wondering why no one else could buy food, but she could? So it's because of this relationship. No wonder, huh, this old lady Yao is really secretive. Such a big thing, and she didn't even say a word."
Mrs. Li shook her head as she spoke, her eyes showing both speculation and suspicion towards Old Lady Yao, but also a hint of envy. She thought that if she could have some relationship with the grain store owner, then she wouldn't have to worry about buying grain.
Aunt Qin kept nodding her head, as if they had already determined that Old Lady Yao had this in mind. The two of them started to talk back and forth, making up stories about Old Lady Yao.
Zhou Xiaowu was having fun with his friends when he suddenly heard the voices of Aunt Qin and Grandma Li talking not far away. They seemed to be talking about his grandmother, and the tone didn't sound right.
Zhou Xiaowu's smiling face instantly changed color, his brows furrowed tightly, and his big black eyes were filled with anger.
He didn't bother to continue playing with his friends, and immediately ran home. While running, he looked back in the direction of Li Pozi and the others, and his little fists clenched tightly unconsciously.
After jogging back to the resting place, Zhou Xiaowu's face flushed red and he shouted breathlessly, "Mom, I heard Aunt Qin and Grandma Li saying bad things about Grandma!"
The voice was trembling with anxiety and anger.
Su Wenxuan was weaving straw sandals. When she heard her son's words, the sandals in her hands fell to the ground with a "pop".
She stood up suddenly, her eyes wide and her face full of anger. Without saying a word, she hurried out, muttering, "Humph, these people are so idle that they dare to say bad things about my mother. I'll pull them out and give them a good lecture!"
Seeing his mother like this, Zhou Xiaowu hurriedly followed.
Li Zhaodi was just about to light a fire. After hearing Zhou Xiaowu's words, she picked up a piece of firewood and rushed in the direction where Su Wenxuan and the others had left. Her eyes were filled with determination as she thought to herself, "You dare to say bad things about my mother-in-law? I can't let this go!"
When they arrived in a hurry, they heard Mrs. Li's shrill voice croaking, "Oh, look at that old lady Yao. She's so lucky. If she had married the owners of those two grain stores and stayed in the capital, her life would have been like falling into a honey pot. She would have truly enjoyed a life of luxury."
When Li Zhaodi heard this, she was so angry that her whole body was shaking, her face turned red, and her eyes were spitting fire.
She didn't care about anything else, she rushed forward, raised her hand, and slapped Li Pozi's wrinkled face twice, making a loud crisp sound.
While beating her, he cursed, "You shameless gossip. You have nothing to do all day long, and all you do is talk nonsense here, ruining my mother-in-law's reputation! I'll beat you to death and let you know the consequences of talking nonsense!"
Su Wenxuan also reacted instantly. Seeing that Li Zhaodi had already attacked without any hesitation, she did not hesitate and immediately took two steps forward and reached out to grab Li Pozi's collar.
The force was so strong that it almost pulled Mrs. Li's feet off the ground.
Her eyes widened, her face filled with anger, and she shouted, "You gossipy old woman, how can you be so mean! All you do all day is talk about people behind their backs and say things that don't make sense.
My mother has always been a decent person and kind to others. It is not your place to gossip or point fingers here. Today I must teach you a lesson and let you remember it. Let's see if you dare to gossip again in the future!"
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