Chapter 015 Going Crazy
A day in the countryside begins with the crowing of roosters. Once one family's rooster starts crowing, the crowing of other families will also begin, one after another, without stopping.
The Jiang family's various households were already up. Today was the second wife's turn to make breakfast. Ma Honghua, with dark circles under her eyes, was thrashing around in the kitchen, complaining to her son, Jiang Gui, who was helping to light the fire: "Your grandma is so overbearing. You're my son, so why can't I interfere in your marriage? It's not like that! Your grandma is just an old country woman, she's bound to marry someone from the village. Isn't it my intention that you marry a city girl so we can eat commercial grain in the future? How is this meddling?"
The second branch of the Jiang family has only one son. Jiang Gui has been very sensible since he was a child. He has been helping Ma Honghua make breakfast since he was ten years old. Ma Honghua thinks her son is the best in the world. Even if a fairy in the sky wants to marry her son, she, Ma Honghua, still has to test him.
Jiang Gui was stuffing firewood into the stove. Hearing this, she smiled nonchalantly, "Mom, why are you so anxious? Didn't my uncle say yesterday that we'll find oil here sooner or later? Then dad and I will become workers. Grandma must have thought of this, so she's not anxious."
Ma Honghua disagreed, "Who knows how long we'll have to wait."
The mother and son were busy in the kitchen, and Jiang Mancheng's family soon got up. They had to get up because the rooster kept crowing, clucking ...
Jiang Nan, with his hair in a mess, took a deep breath and walked towards the toilet with a bitter and resentful look on his face. The dry toilets in rural areas in this era were unbearable to talk about; the very mention of them brought tears.
Jiang Mancheng went to the kitchen with a basin to fetch water. When Jiang Gui saw him, she called out "uncle". Ma Honghua ignored her and stirred the porridge in the pot with a wooden spoon until it almost overflowed. Jiang Mancheng said with a half-smile: "Second sister-in-law is quite angry this morning."
Ma Honghua thought of her mother-in-law's partiality and snorted. She wanted to say something in reply, but her son Jiang Gui pulled the corner of her clothes. Then she said nothing and just snorted again.
Jiang Mancheng didn't care what she was doing and went out to wash up with the basin. Just then, Chen Jinhua came out dressed. The three of them quickly washed up and went into the main room.
Although the family was divided up externally, that was for work, but they still gathered together to cook and eat. The Jiang family was large, so when Jiang Mancheng came back, they simply set up two tables, one for the elders and one for the younger generation like Jiang Nan, so that they could eat comfortably.
Du Hehua sat in the main seat and began the day's assignments: "Today, except for the old and young families, everyone has to go to work. The team leader said yesterday that we should rush to harvest soybeans while the weather is good. I don't worry about others. Mantang, you are the scorekeeper, you don't have to work very hard, understand?! And Xiaobai, you are so stubborn, don't learn from your father. It doesn't matter how much you work these days. Six points for a man and four points for a woman. You are still young, so take it easy. Look at Zaohua's donkey, it also has ten work points, but I have never seen it work as hard as a dog. Learn from it."
Seeing her eldest son and grandson nodding with innocent smiles, Du Hehua knocked on the edge of the table and continued, "And the second-in-command couple, if each of you earns less than eight work points, you won't be able to eat lunch. Do you understand?"
Jiang Manpo patted his chest and said, "I understand, Mom, don't worry. When have I ever failed to keep my promise?"
Ma Honghua curled her lips secretly and nodded uncomfortably.
Du Hehua snorted and looked at the children's table. "Xiaogui, I know you're smart, so I won't tell you any more. Xiaohuai, Xiaotong, follow your uncle and aunt and learn from them. Xiaosong, don't play too much with Gouwazi and the others. If the team leader sees you, he'll have you punished."
After everyone at home had divided up their tasks, Du Hehua turned to her youngest son and his family. "Chengzi, you guys stay home this morning to cook and watch over the river. The lunch dishes are already in the kitchen. Jinhua, you guys can take care of them."
He finally coughed lightly, and seeing that even his second son, Jiang Manpo, who was the most thoughtful, hadn't raised any more objections, he picked up his chopsticks and gave the order, "Eat!"
The Jiang family's breakfast consisted of simple cornmeal porridge and cornmeal steamed bread. The cornmeal porridge certainly couldn't compare to Jiang Nan's, but since they were about to harvest, it was still thick enough, just the right amount. Each person got a bowl. The steamed bread was also limited: two for adults and one for children under ten, along with three pickled radish strips.
Since the food was all rationed, Du Hehua gave the order, and no one scrambled for it. But they still ate it with a chugging spree. These days, everyone was short on oil and water, and there was nothing left over from the three meals a day.
The Jiang family was just an ordinary farm family, so naturally, there was no rule about not talking while eating or sleeping. And then, Ma Honghua, it was Ma Honghua again, always Ma Honghua. She glanced at Jiang Nan, who was drinking porridge, and whispered to Chen Jinhua, her voice full of concern, "Sister-in-law, did Xiaonan find a job?"
"No. The factory is hiring few workers now, so I asked her to go and check every day. Maybe she'll run into her." Chen Jinhua has been married for more than ten years and is familiar with her two sisters-in-law. Although she doesn't like Ma Honghua's personality, she has never turned against her.
"Xiao Nan is sixteen now. Have you ever thought about finding a partner and getting married first? These days, it's not easy to find a job. In fact, you can consider personal issues first. My family..."
"Old Second's, if you're not hungry, don't eat."
Du Hehua's voice was chilling, instantly shutting Ma Honghua up. She lowered her head and curled her lips, secretly cursing the old lady for being partial. If it weren't for Chen Jinhua's father and her two older brothers-in-law, would you, Du Hehua, smile at a daughter-in-law who only gave birth to girls and couldn't have any more?
I'm afraid he would want to have three meals a day.
Jiang Mancheng scoffed, his face smiling but his voice cold: "Second sister-in-law, eat slowly. You'll choke easily if you're too greedy."
"Alright, stop being quiet so early in the morning. Eat your food properly. Whoever says another word will have to wash the dishes today!"
At the dinner table, everyone really quieted down.
Despite the minor incident, breakfast was quickly finished. The whole family went to work. Even Du Hehua, who had a birthday today, helped her eldest daughter-in-law and eldest grandson's wife out, carrying a sack.
Jiang Mancheng sat on the kang, sneering from time to time, which was very creepy.
Chen Jinhua came in after washing her hands and advised, "Alright, Ma Honghua is only good at talking. When has she ever taken advantage of us? Don't take it to heart. Our Xiaonan is not stupid."
"Don't worry about it. You're not stupid, but you can't let others plot against you. This is a matter of principle. We didn't care about those little things before, but now she dares to set her sights on Xiaonan. If we don't kill her immediately, who knows what a fool like her will do." Jiang Mancheng waved his hand, jumped out of bed as if nothing had happened, and called his daughter who was teasing Xiao Jiang He in the yard, "Let's go to the kitchen and see what's prepared. This old lady will never treat herself badly."
Having said that, the conditions were there after all. The kitchen only had vegetables such as cabbage, celery, radish, and sweet potato leaves. The meat dishes were just two fish, not big, which were obviously caught from the river in the mountains. There was also a wild rabbit and a pheasant. It was already a very luxurious meal.
Spending money on pork? Every family in the countryside eats meat during festivals, even birthdays. Don't you see? These meat dishes are all wild animals. To the villagers, this isn't meat, just a meat substitute for those who can't afford it.
"Chicken stewed with mushrooms, spicy fried rabbit cubes, crucian carp and tofu soup, celery and dried tofu..." Jiang Mancheng looked at the ingredients and counted the dishes for lunch one by one.
Little Jiang He jumped for joy. The little guy was only two years old, and his baby voice was especially adorable: "Eat meat, eat meat!"
"Oh, if Xiaohe screams again, the big white rabbit in my mouth will fall out." Jiang Nan scared the children.
"No way!" Little Jiang He quickly covered his mouth, his little face puffed up.
Jiang Nan chuckled twice, squatted down and poked the little guy's face, and the little guy scurried behind his uncle Chen Jinhua.
Jiang Nan made a face, stood up, and pulled his father's arm, coquettishly saying, "Dad, cut the rabbit in half and stew the other half with potatoes? Potatoes with meat are even better than meat."
"Okay, divide it into two halves." Jiang Mancheng made the decision, and the three of them quickly packed up the ingredients, while little Jiang He had fun in the yard and the kitchen.
Jiang Mancheng was in charge of cooking. After the last crucian carp and tofu soup came out of the pot, the people who had gone to work went home one after another.
Du Hehua didn't invite anyone else to her birthday party; she just gathered with her family and had a nice meal. Jiang Manping, her only daughter, came back with her husband, Wang Jun, and their twin sons to celebrate for her mother. The large kang was packed with nearly twenty people.
Everyone washed their hands and quickly sat down to eat.
"Mom, today is your 55th birthday. As the eldest son..."
Jiang Mantang raised his glass and hadn't finished his congratulations when someone arrived, more than a dozen people in total. Each one of them was burly and aggressive, making the Jiang family's courtyard look small.
Seeing the visitor's unfriendly expression, several sons and grandchildren of the Jiang family rushed out of the house.
That's how it is in the countryside. If someone picks on you, you must never be timid. If you show signs of fatigue, the villagers will bully you to death.
Du Hehua was very leisurely. She put on her shoes slowly, dusted off the corners of her clothes, and then walked out of the door slowly and stood in front of the brothers.
Jiang Mancheng recognized it at a glance. This was the old Wei family at the entrance of the village.
"Aunt Du, you are blessed." The middle-aged man in the lead bowed slightly. He was Wei Youwei, the eldest son of the Wei family. He was thirty-eight years old, the same age as Jiang Mantang, the eldest son of the Jiang family. However, he had a fierce look on his face, his small eyes slanted, revealing a bit of cunning.
"How have you considered what I told you a few days ago? It's been so many days, and I think I've given you enough face."
Wei Youwei glanced at the crowd behind the old lady and sneered, "You have to give to gain. You used to be a servant in the house of a big capitalist, so you don't even understand this principle, do you? Your youngest son is now an oil worker. The salary of the couple combined is over a hundred, right? You say you are so blessed, why do you still keep those things? This is just waiting for trouble. I also have good intentions and want to keep them for you. I am also thinking of taking care of them for you. Don't worry, I am not heartless. If you want to use them in the future, I will return them to you. You and my mother were good sisters back then. If you don't trust me, can you trust my dead mother? My mother said that I am a good child. You have to believe her words."
At the end, there was a hint of resentment in his voice.
Jiang Mancheng thought the main part of the drama was about to begin, and quickly turned around to look towards the main hall. The look in his eyes looked so pitiful.
Woohoo, this old lady gets mad and can't be stopped for half an hour. The table is full of meat and vegetables, still hot, but by the time we eat them, they are cold.
Jiang Nan was also quite clever. Seeing this, she knew what she was talking about. Grandma was inviting them back to watch the show. She looked at Wei Youwei with a mixture of pity and admiration.
Warriors, this is what a warrior is.
A true warrior who dares to face the fake madman with a certificate of "no compensation for killing", I admire him.
Chen Jinhua was a reliable person. Seeing this, she quickly instructed her nephew Jiang Bai: "Xiao Bai, quickly ask your wife to carry Xiao He into the house. Don't come out."
Jiang Bai is the eldest grandson of the Jiang family, and Xiaohe is the only child of the fourth generation. He is only two years old and how can he see what will happen next.
Du Hehua glimpsed the actions of her youngest son and his family, and her lips twitched. Such a cowardly son, thankfully he married a sensible wife; otherwise, with his unruly behavior, who knows what his life would be like.
She turned her face away, then narrowed her eyes, looking at Wei Youwei. Her eyes were a little vague, and her voice was weak: "Xiao Weizi, you are Xiao Weizi from the Lamei family, right? Lamei and I were sold to the master's family together. It was a severe winter, with a white-haired wind blowing, whistling, and snowflakes as big as goose feathers floating in the sky. I was only six years old, and Lamei was eight..."
At this point, tears suddenly streamed down Du Hehua's face. Her eyelids fluttered, and she let out a howl. Before anyone could react, she sprinted to the kitchen. She quickly stumbled out, a kitchen knife in hand, crying and laughing. Her expression was frantic, her half-black, half-white hair tumbling down, and even her voice had a ghostly quality.
"The master is a scoundrel, and our lives are so hard. We don't have enough to eat every day, and we have to work every day. We can't even be lazy and slack off. If we stop, the whip will whip us. In the summer, we eat stale rice, and in the winter, we drink cold water and eat cold steamed buns. It's so bitter, so bitter. Steamed bun, Lamei gave me a steamed bun. Lamei, why did you leave like this? You left unjustly. Tell me, did you harm Lamei?"
As she spoke, she glared at Wei Youwei fiercely and shouted hysterically, "I'll kill you, you heartless bastard! I'll kill you! I'll let you hit me!"
Du Hehua was already crying and snotting, howling and waving a kitchen knife as she charged at the crowd, hacking away again and again. It was a truly deadly blow. It was terrifying to watch.
The eldest man of the Wei family dodged quickly and escaped injury, but he still screamed and ran around the yard. Several of the Wei family's wives were unlucky and had large sections of their hair chopped off.
Wei Youwei, the ringleader of the riot, was chased and forced to flee, but he remained fierce and shouted in a tone of frustration. He said, "Stop playing crazy here! I don't believe you're really crazy. You must hand over the things today, otherwise my Wei family will come to your door every day. Ah, Jiang family, you don't care about it? If your mother hurts or kills someone, you won't be in trouble either."
"My mother doesn't have to pay for her murder." Ma Honghua said quietly.
The air suddenly became quiet.
Wei Youwei was stunned for a moment, then shouted, "Your mother is a liar. That certificate is fake. You should take care of your mother. Anyone who kills someone must pay with their life!"
Well, this voice is a bit fierce but weak.
"The certificate was issued by the city hospital and registered with the commune." Jiang Mancheng explained kindly.
"The commune has verified it and it's true." This is Jiang Manping who returned to her mother's home.
Upon hearing this, the Wei family's daughters-in-law rushed out of the Jiang family's yard. Wei Youwei's wife even started to persuade them, "Youwei, your aunt's testimony is true. Don't be impulsive. It's not worth losing your life for this."
"Yeah, big brother, we've already divided a lot, so don't..."
"Well, you guys have no conscience. Why didn't you say a lot during the discussion? Now you are acting like good guys. Hurry up and take the old lady's knife. It's useless. Hurry up."
Despite shouting like that, no one dared to step forward.
That's a kitchen knife, a knife that no matter how skilled you are in martial arts is afraid of.
In order to make it easier to chop meat today, the Jiang family specially sharpened the kitchen knife. Didn’t you see that it was still reflecting light under the scorching sun?
Who dares to go up to this guy?
"Mom, why are you sick again, Mom? Don't get excited. You suffered a lot when you were young. Don't think about it." Jiang Mantang wiped his tears in pain. Regardless of the danger, he took a step forward and reached out to grab the kitchen knife.
Jiang Mancheng was speechless with his elder brother. After so many years, he still hadn't figured out that his mother was pretending? If this drama didn't continue like this, who knows what kind of trouble the Wei family would cause. He hurriedly grabbed his elder brother and said in a miserable voice, "Brother, don't worry. When mother is sick, she won't recognize anyone. Even if you go forward, you might get hurt. Don't be impulsive."
Grabbing his eldest brother, Jiang Mancheng shouted at Du Hehua, who was still hacking around in the crowd, "Mom, wake up, Mom. Even though you don't have to pay for your life, it's still dirty. Don't be impulsive. You have a whole family to take care of. Don't do anything stupid."
"My younger brother is right, mother, you have to think about the family. They are all depending on you." This is Jiang Manpo, the most cunning man.
Although Du Hehua is an old lady, she is an old lady who never treats herself badly. She is in good health. Half an hour has passed, and she is still wielding the kitchen knife vigorously.
Wei Youwei and his two brothers were very afraid of losing their lives. Seeing that they could not gain any advantage, they fled to the gate of Jiang's courtyard in a panic. After saying a few harsh words, they covered their bleeding left hand and limped back home.
Du Hehua went to get a certificate so that she could really take action at a critical moment. Today, she actually cut off a section of Wei Youwei's left little finger, and the pain was so severe that Wei Youwei almost fainted.
It was because of this that Wei Youwei became afraid and returned home in shame.
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