When Jiang Shuyun returned home, dinner had just been prepared at home.
"Mom, my father is back."
"I'm back."
Shao Ming, who was playing in the yard, saw Jiang Shuyun walk into the yard and ran to greet his father, calling out for his mother. Shao Yun and Shao Kun also called out, simply parroting each other.
"You're back. Go change your clothes first. Dinner will be ready soon. Dad and the others are back."
"Okay, I'll take the things in first."
Jiang Shuyun was carrying two bolts of cloth, as well as paper and books for copying, and her arms were aching terribly.
"Second brother, what did you buy? Is it cloth?"
Hearing the commotion in the courtyard, Sister-in-law Jiang came out with Jiang Lan.
"It wasn't bought; it was a gift from Madam Wei of the county school to my wife."
Jiang Shuyun glanced at Mu Yi'an, gesturing for her to take the things.
"Second brother, what kind of cloth? Can I have it?"
Jiang Lan acted as if she hadn't heard what her second brother had just said, and reached out to take the cloth from his arms.
"Didn't you hear me, sister-in-law? That was a gift from someone else. Shouldn't you ask the owner about it?"
Mu Yi'an's tone was very unpleasant; she disliked people who lacked a sense of propriety.
He brushed aside Jiang Lan's hand and took the two bolts of cloth from Jiang Shuyun's hands; they were quite heavy.
"Second sister-in-law, do you have a problem with me? The cloth was brought back by my second brother. I'm his own sister. What's wrong with me asking him for the cloth?"
“Sister-in-law, you need to understand this. First of all, this cloth was a gift to me, so it belongs to me. Secondly, you are my husband’s younger sister, but I am his wife, and I have the authority to manage the household affairs.”
"Your behavior of taking things without asking is not good, and it shows no respect for me as your sister-in-law. I should be asking, does your sister-in-law have some kind of problem with me? Since she came back from my aunt's house, she's been finding fault with me a lot. Don't deny it; nobody's stupid."
After Mu Yi'an finished speaking, she carried the cloth and called the children back to their rooms. Jiang Shuyun took the opportunity to go back as well; these papers were heavy, and his arm was about to break.
"Sister-in-law, what do you mean by this? Are you saying I'm not worthy of using their things? We haven't separated the family yet, so how come everything belongs to her? The goat milk is hers, the cloth is hers, what does she want to do with it? Does she want to separate the family?"
Jiang Lan spoke in an unfriendly tone, standing in the courtyard and shouting incessantly.
"Little sister, don't be angry. Your second sister-in-law, oh dear, talking about dividing the family property, our parents are here. If they hear this, they'll be so heartbroken."
"Sister-in-law, what are you saying? When did Second Sister-in-law ever say she wanted to separate the family? Neither you nor your sister-in-law understand. Are you trying to mediate or stir up trouble?"
Li Qiuniang was also in the courtyard. She had seen everything that had just happened clearly. Why were these two always causing trouble for her second sister-in-law?
"Third sister-in-law, even though you and second sister-in-law are close, you can't talk to me like that. Why are you asking me to stir up trouble? Little sister is the youngest in the family, so what's wrong with us giving in to her? Besides, second brother brought back so much fabric, what's wrong with sharing some with little sister?"
Jiang's words infuriated Li Qiuniang. How dare she say that? What's wrong with sharing some? Maybe she wanted a share too.
"Sister-in-law, don't be so generous with other people's money. Whether or not to divide it is my decision. It's mine."
Mu Yi'an came out of the house. She had just put her things down and brought the children from the yard inside to keep them from listening to the adults arguing. She had just finished settling the children when she heard Sister-in-law Jiang spouting nonsense; anyone who didn't know better would think she was incredibly generous.
"That's right, sister-in-law. Every time you bring something back from your parents' home, you always hide it away and never give anything to anyone. Why do you expect others to be generous now?"
Li Qiuniang wasn't happy either. Every time she came back from her parents' home, she would bring some food and supplies and share some with everyone. The second sister-in-law did the same. Only the eldest sister-in-law was always stingy and secretive.
"What are you trying to do? After saying that, my little sister started attacking me. She has no respect for me as her sister-in-law at all. Does she have no sense of responsibility as a younger sister-in-law?"
Jiang Dasao was enraged by what Li Qiuniang said. The things she brought back from her parents' home belonged to her, and there weren't many of them anyway, so how could they be divided?
The noise in the yard eventually caught the attention of Jiang's parents inside the house.
"What are you all arguing about in the yard? Come in! Aren't you afraid the neighbors will laugh at you if they hear us?"
Jiang's mother was also angry. She didn't know what was wrong with her these past few days; everyone seemed to have such strong opinions about her.
When Mu Yi'an and the others heard their mother-in-law get angry, they stopped arguing and went into the house one after another.
The main house has five rooms. The two rooms on the left and right are for Jiang's parents and his eldest brother's family, respectively, while the middle room serves as the living room. Guests are received and eaten here.
Against the northernmost wall, there is an eight-immortal table with two chairs on either side.
Jiang's father was sitting in a chair next to the octagonal table. He had just changed into his home clothes when he heard a commotion in the yard.
"What's going on? Tell me, why are you arguing without eating? Aren't you hungry?"
Jiang's mother glanced at her three daughters-in-law, her youngest daughter, and Jiang Shuyun, who came in last.
"Mother, does Second Sister-in-law want to separate the family? She's taking everything back to her own room and doesn't care about anyone else."
Jiang Lan spoke first; she was going to complain.
“My sister-in-law is not a child anymore. How can you speak so carelessly? According to the laws of the Great Li Dynasty, the dowry belongs to the woman and is hers to decide. As soon as you came in, you said that the cloth was a return gift from the wife of the teacher at the county school. Are you really deaf or are you selectively deaf?”
Furthermore, from what I said until now, in which sentence did I imply a desire to separate the family? As an unmarried daughter in the family, you keep saying I want to separate the family; isn't that a bit of slander?
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