My dears, wash up after eating, and then we can go to bed early. Mommy will take you to grandma's house tomorrow, okay?"
Several children said, "Okay" while eating the delicious shaved noodles.
After waking up in the morning, Su Li prepared face-washing water for the children and helped Baoya and Shitou brush their teeth. Tiedan and Huzi brushed their teeth by themselves. Baoya was not very good at it and always drank the water. Shitou was just being coquettish and took advantage of the time when he was brushing his teeth to cuddle with Su Li.
Su Li went to the kitchen to cook. She made some seaweed wontons, heated up five steamed buns, and mixed some shredded radish with some cold water. The five of them ate together and they were so delicious.
After eating, Su Li asked Xie Zhengyang to help her rent an ox cart. The driver was an uncle from the Xie family in the village.
Su Li told him that he would get a meal at noon and 50 cents for the round trip. Uncle Xie agreed with a smile. The ox cart was the finance of the brigade. He kept it and could earn 10 cents a day. Su Li rented it out and Uncle Xie would pay 20 cents to the brigade, which was considered making money for him, so no one in the team said anything.
Su Li loaded two large bags of clothes into the car, and used a sheet to take three bolts of colorful fabric and two and a half bolts of fabric from last time, and packed two quilts and two sets of thick cotton clothes. She also took a can of malted milk, two cans of yellow peaches, three pounds of egg cake, and two bags of White Rabbit candy.
The basket was filled with 100 steamed buns, 30 eggs and 5 jin of brown sugar.
I don’t know how long Su Huai’s mother had been saving the eggs she brought over last time. Now each family is only allowed to raise two chickens.
In his memory, the Su family had not had an easy life. Su Li took a few more industrial tickets, put the four children in the car, took care of Uncle Xie, and set off.
Uncle Xie was lamenting along the way that Su Li was bringing so many things back to her parents' home, and the people in the Xie family not only had no objections but also asked her to come back early. It was really weird.
The ox cart was not moving fast, and the dirt road was full of potholes. It took about an hour and a half to reach Sujiaba. From afar, we could see the Su family's house at the edge of the village. Sujiaba Commune was not wealthy, and the village was basically made up of low earthen-walled and black-tiled houses.
Arriving at her mother's house, Su Li jumped off the ox cart and knocked on the door.
"Mom, are you home? I'm back, open the door quickly."
The door creaked open and a pretty girl came out. Seeing it was Su Li, she said with a smile, "Aunt, why are you here? Grandma and the others have gone to work and haven't come back yet. Only Fifth Aunt and I are at home. Come in."
Su Li knew that this was Su Lan, the girl from her eldest brother's family. Last time, she heard from Su Huai that her fifth sister-in-law was pregnant, so Su Lan must have been left at home to take care of her.
Su Li asked Uncle Xie to park the ox cart and carried the four children off the cart. There were too many things to unload. She would wait until the Su family got off work before unloading.
"Cousin".
"Hello, cousin." Several children called out to Su Lan.
"Hey! Tiedan, Huzi, Shitou, Baoya, come quickly. I'll make you some sugar water. We also have some green sugar cane at home. I'll give it to you later."
Su Li brought several children and Uncle Xie into the yard, and the fifth sister-in-law Wu Yanhong came out holding her belly.
"My sister-in-law is here. Who is this?"
"This is our uncle from the same clan. He specially sent us here in a ox cart. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to come here with four children by myself!" Su Li explained.
"Thank you so much, uncle. Su Lan, please pour some water for me!"
"Hey" Su Lan responded.
"You're welcome, you're welcome." Uncle Xie rubbed his hands, embarrassed to say that he was paid to do the job, which made Su Li say that he came here specially to deliver the gift. Maybe he was afraid that his family would feel sad if they knew about it. So he should not say too much and just sit there quietly!
Su Li looked at Wu Yanhong's belly and asked, "Sister-in-law, how many months have you been pregnant? How do you feel?"
"Oh! He is a naughty boy. He has been moving a lot these days. He is already 6 months old, but he vomits everything he eats. He feels weak all over and is lazy all day long. My mother-in-law is worried, so she asked me to rest at home for two days without going to work, and asked Su Lan to take care of me at home." Wu Yanhong said with a happy smile on her face.
Which daughter-in-law is as lucky as her? Her husband has a formal job and gives her a fixed salary of four yuan every month. Her mother-in-law is also very kind to these daughters-in-law and has never bullied them.
Didn’t you see that the wife of Mr. Fan next door was still working in the fields when she was about to give birth, and the baby was almost born in the fields?
Su Li and Wu Yanhong chatted for a while and looked around the Su family's house. There were five brothers in the Su family, each with a room. The main hall had two rooms, one for receiving guests and the other was covered with corn stalks and surrounded by a curtain as a room.
The Su family is too poor, Su Li thought. Although she is rich now, she is a widow with four children. She has no way to change the current situation of the Su family. When the royalties come in, she can change the living conditions of the Su family appropriately. In two years, when the market economy comes, she can do business and make life better for both the Su and Xie families.
"You silly girl, you still remember to come back!" Li Ruiying heard Su Li's voice outside the door. She was so happy that her steps became lighter, and she even cursed with a smile on her face.
"Mom, you're back." Su Li watched Li Ruiying walk into the yard and put down the hoe.
Su Li hurriedly got a basin of water for her to wash her hands.
After a while, everyone in the Su family came back one after another, except Su Changshun, who had not come back yet. It was said that he was chatting with the old man in the back. There are five brothers in the Su family.
The eldest brother Su Shan and his wife Liu Shuying have two daughters and a son: the eldest daughter Su Lan, the second daughter Su Fang, and the son Su An.
The second brother is Su Hai, the second sister-in-law is Guo Rumei, and they have two sons, the eldest son Su Ning and the second son Su Bei.
The third brother is Suzhou, the third sister-in-law is Liang Juan, and the daughter is Su Fang.
Fourth brother Su Lie, fourth sister-in-law Cai Qin has two daughters, the eldest daughter Su Xiu, the second daughter Su Jing
The fifth brother is Su Huai, the fifth sister-in-law is Wu Yanhong, and they have only one son, Su Gang.
Li Ruiying tapped Su Li's forehead.
"What's wrong? You still work when you come home? Tie the oxcart carrying water to the tree outside our house."
"Mom, that was my uncle Xie's ox cart that brought us here. He worked so hard. I brought some things for you, Dad, and my sisters-in-law on the cart, so my brothers can help carry them."
Li Ruiying reached out and hit Su Li, "Did you move your family here, you little bitch? You brought so many things with you, and you can't live like this. I heard from your fifth brother that you have changed, but you are not changed at all, you are crazy. Why didn't your mother-in-law beat you to death? Ouch! I am so angry!"
"Ouch! Ouch! Okay, mom, don't be angry, just listen to me!"
Li Ruiying said loudly with red eyes: "Take everything away. Your father and I don't need it. If you can live a good life, it will be more useful than giving me anything."
Except for the children who were not aware of the situation, everyone else in the Su family was a little embarrassed. Li Ruiying loved Su Li very much, and now was the time to teach Su Li a lesson, and no one dared to interrupt.
The children thought they were having a quarrel, so they threw away the sugar canes in their hands and ran out.
"Grandma, don't hit Mom."
"Don't hit mom, mom is good."
"Grandma, don't be angry, Baoya is scared." Several children stood in front of Su Li and said in unison.
Li Ruiying quickly picked up Baoya and said, "Good girl, don't be afraid. Your mother is disobedient and deserves to be beaten."
Baoya patted Li Ruiying's shoulder to comfort her.
Su Lizhen was helpless, "Mom, don't worry. My mother-in-law saw me bringing things here. I gave them as much as I gave you. There is not much, so let your brothers move into the house first."
Li Ruiying held Baoya in her arms, snorted, and turned to go back into the house. Su Li took the three children to greet everyone and let Tiedan, Huzi and Shitou play in the yard.
Li Ruiying was taking care of Uncle Xie when Su Li entered the room. The two exchanged polite words, but Li Ruiying didn't even raise her eyelids when she saw her daughter coming in. She lifted the curtain and went into her room to sit on the bed without saying a word.
Su Li sat next to her and reached out to take Bao Ya.
Several brothers carried the things from the ox cart into Li Ruiying's room in the main hall. The room was already small, and with several large bags placed on it, there was almost no room to step.
After everyone went out, Su Li put Baoya on the ground and let her go out to play.
Reaching out and holding Li Ruiying's arm, "Mom, don't be angry. I know you are afraid of people gossiping about you. I was ignorant before. I never bought anything for you and Dad during the New Year and festivals, and I never loved my nephews and nieces. Now I know I was wrong. Winter is coming soon. There are so many people in our family, young and old, but we don't even have a decent winter coat. I feel sorry for you. I brought my old clothes here, and you sisters-in-law can choose.
The ones that can’t be worn can be altered for my nieces. There are three pieces of cloth left, which are enough to make clothes for my nephews, nieces and sisters-in-law. There is also some cloth for you and dad, which can also make two sets of cotton-padded clothes and a few pairs of cotton-padded shoes.”
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