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Chapter 178: Chapter 171: Complaining of Grievances
The Li Family had only Qiu Shuping at home watching the kids, everyone else had gone to work.
Li Hongqi had gone to school in the county, and Li Xianghe had been chased off by Qiu Shuping to earn work points.
Even the eldest and his wife had gone, taking their two children, only seven and five years old, to work with them. According to Wang Dan, they were having trouble affording food, and having the children along, they could at least do some work. They might not know much, but they could weed, which was better than fooling around outside all day. At the very least, each could earn a few work points, which was better than nothing.
Upon learning this, Shen Yunfang gained a deeper understanding of her sister-in-law; this sister-in-law was truly ruthless.
"Son, how’s living over there? Is anyone giving you trouble? If someone bullies you, tell your ma, and we can just come back home. Son, ever since you left, your ma’s been missing you so much she can’t sleep at night. I regret it, how could I have let someone deceive you and take you away like that." Qiu Shuping watched her son with tears streaming down her face, throwing fierce glares at the daughter-in-law who had lured her son away.
"Ma, Yunfang and I are doing pretty well in Gaijiatun. I’m here today to tell you and Dad that I’m returning to the army, and I’ll come to see you whenever I get leave," said Li Hongjun, not continuing her line of thought but instead stating his purpose for coming.
"Son, is your leg really healed? Can you return to the army?" Qiu Shuping became excited, thinking that if her son really could return to the army, he would be able to earn a salary again.
"Yeah, the doctor said it’s nothing serious, but whether I can stay in the army will depend on how I recover during training when I return," Li Hongjun didn’t set the matter in stone.
"Oh, I think it’s sure to work out; you’ll definitely be able to return to the army," Qiu Shuping said with certainty, as if she were the commanding officer.
"Ma, I came to let you and Dad know. Since Dad isn’t home, Yunfang and I will head back," Li Hongjun did not plan to stay any longer, knowing that if he did, his mother would surely start complaining to him.
"Go back? It’s almost noon; you should at least eat a meal at home, let your dad see you too. What are you still sitting for? Hurry up and go cook," insisted Qiu Shuping, not wanting Li Hongjun to leave. Seeing Shen Yunfang sitting idly by irritated her, so she shooed her out to cook.
Shen Yunfang looked at Li Hongjun for his reaction, ready to cook if he decided to stay.
After pondering for a moment, Li Hongjun spoke to his wife, "Then let’s stay and wait for Dad. I don’t know when I’ll be back next, so it’s best to talk to him."
"Alright, you chat with Ma, and I’ll go cook," Shen Yunfang said promptly as she stood up to make the meal.
"Just make whatever’s easy; don’t bother with anything complicated," Li Hongjun reminded her.
Shen Yunfang nodded in understanding, "Don’t worry, I know."
She couldn’t possibly start taking things out now.
After Shen Yunfang left the room, she looked around the main house and saw it was just as it had been during the few days she had stayed there. She had forgotten to ask which things belonged to the eldest brother’s family and which belonged to the old couple. If she used the wrong items, her sister-in-law would certainly not be pleased.
So she went back and asked, "Ma, the food by the stove, that’s yours and dad’s, right? Is it okay if I use those to cook with?" 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘱𝘶𝑏.𝑐𝘰𝑚
"Yes, and while you’re at it, make some food for your eldest brother’s family too." If the daughter-in-law hadn’t mentioned it, she wouldn’t have remembered. They couldn’t just make food for a few people; the eldest’s family needed to eat with them as well.
"Okay," Shen Yunfang didn’t ask any more questions. She would make as much as was requested; it wasn’t her food she was using anyway.
Let’s not mention Shen Yunfang cooking outside, inside the house Qiu Shuping started pouring out her grievances to Li Hongjun.
"Son, you have no idea, your eldest sister-in-law is really something else. Initially, we agreed to split up and manage our meals separately, but the moment you left, she claimed that there wasn’t enough room for another stove and insisted on eating together."
"Your dad thought that even if we split the family, we’re still family. Making things so estranged isn’t good, so he agreed. But who would have thought your elder brother’s family would come every day with just their mouths, not bringing a single grain of food. This whole family is leaning on me and your dad; how can we bear it?" Qiu Shuping wiped away tears while furtively observing her son’s expression.
Li Hongjun listened with an expressionless face, showing no sign of change.
In the main room, Shen Yunfang couldn’t help but think to herself disdainfully, "Serves them right." When it came to her second son, the break was so clear-cut and decisive. How come when it comes to the elder son, the ties of kinship suddenly matter?
"After the spring farming began, it’s like she’s become money-eyed, just dumping the young child on me and going off to work. There I am, between heaven and earth, tasked with watching their child, and also having to cook for their entire family at noon and night. When it comes to dividing the money and grain at the end of the year, will she give me a share? Oh, my child, your mother has suffered."
Qiu Shuping talked on and on until she burst into loud, anguished sobs.
This time, Li Hongjun’s face wasn’t emotionless; he frowned deeply.
Outside, Shen Yunfang barely kept herself from laughing. This mother-in-law, after just two months of looking after the child and cooking, was already complaining as if there were no end to her hardships. In these times, which old lady isn’t at home watching the kids and cooking? Some, besides doing these chores, have to catch any spare moment to work in the production brigade to earn work points. Compared to those old ladies, his mother was living in luxury.
Qiu Shuping griped to her son about a multitude of grievances until the people working outside returned.
Li Wangcai and a few others were surprised to find Shen Yunfang, their daughter-in-law, cooking in the main room as they came home.
"Oh, the younger brother and his wife are back," elder sister-in-law Wang Dan said with a smile.
"Yes, Dad, sister-in-law, Hongjun and I came back today to see how you are. Mom insisted we stay for a meal, which is why I’m out here cooking," Shen Yunfang said with a helpless look.
It’s not that I wanted to freeload this meal; someone really insisted on it.
"Good, good, you and Hongjun should eat here at noon," Li Wangcai said before striding into the house, eager to see his son.
Wang Dan also pulled her husband inside, "Sister-in-law, you’ve worked hard. Your elder brother hasn’t seen Hongjun in a long time. Just the other day, he was saying how he wanted to visit you in Gaijiatun. It’s such a coincidence that you came back just as we were thinking about you. We must go have a good look."
Behind them, Li Xianghe didn’t say a word to Shen Yunfang, instead hurrying inside to find her second brother.
Only the two boys from the eldest family’s household were left, standing in the kitchen with gleaming eyes as they looked at Shen Yunfang.
"Second Auntie, I want to eat meat cubes," Goudan remembered the second auntie who had given him meat cubes previously.
"I want to eat too," Erden, thinking of the tasty food, stuffed his dirty little hand back into his mouth and began to chew.
Shen Yunfang quickly pulled his dirty little hand out. Seeing the two kids with their faces like little painted cats, her heart went soft. She could be hard-hearted with anyone but children.
Watching them get taken out to work by Wang Dan, with their little hands either stained green with grass juice or black with earth, she felt a pang of heartache.
"Second Auntie doesn’t have meat cubes today, but I have candy in my pocket, do you want some?" Shen Yunfang pulled out two fruit candies.
The two kids nodded their heads like chicks pecking at grains.
"If you want to eat, that’s fine, but you both have to wash your hands and faces clean first."
Then Shen Yunfang drew some hot water for the children to wash their hands and clean their faces.
