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Chapter 156: Chapter 150 What on Earth is Sisi
No one at the dinner table spoke anymore. Qiu Shuping wanted to ask on her daughter’s behalf, but she knew all too well that her daughter-in-law wasn’t the submissive type. If she asked outright, she might not only fail to get the item but also be berated—better to keep silent.
Her sister-in-law, Wang Dan, remained indifferent as if it didn’t concern her. After all, even if the watch were obtained, it wouldn’t belong to her, so why offend someone over it?
Li Xianglian, the eldest daughter, had a meek disposition. While she was good with chores, handling these matters was beyond her. Moreover, asking her siblings-in-law for things was something she simply couldn’t bring herself to do, so she bowed her head pretending not to hear.
Li Xianghe looked around and, seeing that no one would speak up for her, felt her eyes welling up. She poked at the big chunks of food in her bowl with her chopsticks, saying, "Mom, I’ve always said the You Family is better off. If we had gotten engaged to them in the beginning, Sisi for sure would have willingly given me the watch."
Shen Yunfang raised her eyebrows. Sisi? This was the second time her sister-in-law had mentioned that name, and it sounded suspiciously affectionate to her. Shen Yunfang nudged Li Hongjun under the table; shouldn’t he offer some explanation?
"It’s still possible. You’ve got another brother, after all. You can count on him," Li Hongjun remarked indifferently.
Li Xianghe choked up at that response. Sister Sisi was already twenty, and Hongqi was just fifteen; how could that possibly work?
"Tch, why talk about such nonsense? If Dad hadn’t gone mad at some point back then, would our family be in this state now?" Qiu Shuping’s mood soured even more when her daughter mentioned Sisi again. If only Sisi could become her daughter-in-law, then all the good things from the old You Family would be hers.
The You Family were villagers of Taoshu Village and neighbors to the Li Family. Their only daughter, You Sisi, had liked to follow Li Hongjun around since she was young, even once declaring she would marry her "Brother Hongjun" when she grew up.
She had indeed worked hard towards this, but once the old man Li was discharged from the military, he insisted on forming a marriage alliance with the Shen Family from Gaijiatun that had saved his life. With three sons to consider, only the second son was the right age, and thus the marriage was set. 𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙥𝒖𝒃.𝙘𝙤𝒎
Despite this, the young You Sisi didn’t give up. She constantly sought opportunities to get close to Li Hongjun. When he joined the army, she wanted to enlist as well, but recruitment wasn’t just for anyone, and as the former landlord’s family, You Sisi didn’t make it past the first selection. Afterwards, she wrote letters to Li Hongjun in the army every week to report her thoughts, but they were all returned unopened; Li Hongjun never read them.
You Sisi, unable to get in touch with Li Hongjun, didn’t lose heart and instead approached the Li Family through Li Xianghe, doing small favors for her and treating her like a sister-in-law. That’s why Li Xianghe was against Shen Yunfang marrying her second brother, believing that Shen Yunfang had stolen him and caused Sisi’s grief and sadness.
"Second Brother, what’s wrong with Sister Sisi?" She didn’t understand. Sisi was prettier than Shen Yunfang, had more grace, wealthier family, and was generous to them. Why couldn’t her second brother see that?
"What’s good or bad about You Sisi is not for me to judge, and you shouldn’t be asking me that," Li Hongjun said lightly. "Also, it would be best for you not to mention other women in front of your sister-in-law. She has quite a temper."
Shen Yunfang glared at him. So he was using her as a shield, was he? If he didn’t give her a clear account of this Sisi matter tonight, she was going to have it out with him.
"Really, I’ve just joined the family and I’m not all that familiar with Taoshu Village yet, especially this girl called Sisi. When you have time, Xianghe, you should tell me about her, this girl you say is so wonderful," Shen Yunfang said, her face beaming with a radiant smile.
Thanks to Li Hongjun’s protection, nothing too outrageous happened during the meal. Shen Yunfang could tell who the craftiest member of the Li Family was, it had to be the eldest sister-in-law, Wang Dan. Without drawing attention to herself, she would provoke others to make a scene while seeming innocent. The biggest fool was Li Xianghe, comparable to Shen Family’s Shen Yunxiu from the eldest uncle’s house. Often others would load the gun, and she would fire it, but unlike Shen Yunxiu, Li Xianghe didn’t enjoy favor at home, making her easier to deal with. The most hard-working and uncomplaining was Li Xianglian; it could be said that she was the only person bustling about all day, while the rest acted like outsiders, waiting with folded arms.
As for the men of the Li Family, she refrained from commenting. If they were good, they wouldn’t have spoiled their wives to such an extent. Regarding the underage Li Hongqi, she thought he was just the same; he would stay quiet no matter what others said, acting as if he didn’t exist.
Whether it was indifference or lack of conviction, Shen Yunfang had no faith in such a person.
After the meal, Qiu Shuping began to play the role of a mother-in-law, ordering Shen Yunfang to do chores.
Li Xianglian quickly offered to stay and help but was sent away by Qiu Shuping, who told her to go home with her son-in-law and look after the children.
So, all the pots and pans used in the house that day had to be washed by Shen Yunfang.
Li Hongjun initially wanted to say something but was stopped by Shen Yunfang. She really didn’t think much of the work, and besides, as the new bride, it was only right for her to do more chores. Moreover, today was her wedding to Li Hongjun, so it was only proper for her to clean up afterward.
However, the process left Shen Yunfang speechless.
She was used to it at home, regardless of whether it was winter or summer. Whenever she had to wash something, she would heat a pot of water since it was important for a girl to avoid catching cold.
But when the eldest sister-in-law, Wang Dan, came to inspect the kitchen work, she started making a huge fuss at the sight of the hot water, even calling Qiu Shuping, who had gone to rest, back to the room.
"Sister-in-law, this is too wasteful, burning such a big pot of water just to wash dishes. Do you think firewood doesn’t cost money?" Wang Dan said with irritation, looking at the water.
Shen Yunfang threw the bowl she was holding into the basin, and the noise startled Qiu Shuping, who felt a sudden anxiety. They were porcelain bowls, all bought with money; if they broke, wouldn’t they just have to spend money again?
"Eldest sister-in-law, I really didn’t know we were so poor that we even have to pay for a bit of firewood," Shen Yunfang replied. Taoshu Village wasn’t situated at the foot of the mountains like Gaijiatun, but it wasn’t too far from the big mountains either. Collecting firewood shouldn’t be a difficult task.
Wang Dan blinked, at a loss for words. Who would be foolish enough to buy firewood with money? That would truly be a case of having money to waste. The Li Family’s firewood was gathered by Li Hongxing and the old man, who would take a cart to the foot of the mountain before winter to collect it. Her comment had merely been a slip of the tongue.
"Since the eldest sister-in-law doesn’t approve of the way I work, I won’t get in the way anymore. You all can chat; I’ll go see how Hongjun is doing. Someone needs to take care of him when he has an injury on his leg," Shen Yunfang said calmly, washing her hands and then turning to return to the new room she shared with Li Hongjun. If you all look down on my help, I might as well not offer it at all.
