“You’re acting like someone who gets itchy watching others poop, aren’t you? I want to join the sewing team too!”
Xia Chunhua raised her sharp voice, rolled her eyes, and snapped, “You want to join the sewing team? Sure—just get yourself a sewing machine, and I’ll transfer you there.”
“Mom, how could I afford a sewing machine? And besides, Meng Yue’s sewing machine…”
Xu Hui was just about to say that Meng Yue’s sewing machine was given by her mother-in-law as part of her dowry, but before she could finish, Xia Chunhua cut her off.
“So you do know you can’t afford it? Not a cent on you, looking all poor and pathetic, yet you still want to compare yourself to that educated youth Meng? Want to act like some young lady? Wake up already! So what if your belly is big? Plenty of babies in the countryside are born right in the fields—why can’t you do it?
“Doctors even say pregnant women need to move more so the birth goes faster. Your husband? I gave birth to him right in the field—pulled him out myself! He grew up fine, hardly even caught a cold. Stop wailing every day over nothing.”
Xia Chunhua had never liked this daughter-in-law.
Back when she was still an educated youth, Xu Hui had flirted with several men who brought her eggs—did she really think Xia Chunhua didn’t know? Her youngest son was just stupid enough to insist on marrying this sly vixen. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.
Thinking of this, Xia Chunhua shot Xu Hui another vicious glare.
Xu Hui, offended, stomped on her husband’s foot under the table, signaling him to speak up for her.
Qin Xing truly liked Xu Hui. Hearing his mother talk about his wife like that made him unhappy, and he protested, “Mom, that’s too much. Huihui is a city girl—how can you compare her to village women? And don’t we already have a sewing machine at home? Wouldn’t it be perfect for her to use? Why buy another one?”
Hearing that, Xia Chunhua became even angrier.
“That sewing machine is part of my dowry! It’s going to be your sister Qin Qin’s dowry in the future. Your wife sure has her eyes set far—she even dares to covet your little sister’s dowry? Has she no shame?”
Qin Xing frowned. “But little sister isn’t getting married anytime soon. What’s the big deal if Huihui uses it for now?”
Qin Qin was sharper than her third brother. “Third Brother, I don’t mind giving up the sewing machine. But even if Dad is the brigade leader, he can’t assign two people to the sewing team at once. Others would definitely accuse him of favoritism. If they report him and he loses his position, what then?”
She continued, “But the educated youth Meng is different.”Qin Qin handed her embroidered handkerchief to her brother. “Look at her craftsmanship. Are you sure Third Sister-in-law can make something like this?”
Qin Xing fell silent.
His wife’s sewing was always crooked and uneven—there was no way she could embroider a handkerchief.
Qin Qin went on, “Besides, putting Meng into the sewing team helps us repay Aunt Lan for the favor she did. She promised to let Fourth Brother join the army at the end of the year, but joining the army isn’t the same as being under Brother Zixuan’s wing.”
“If Brother Zixuan gives Fourth Brother even a little push, he could become a squad leader or platoon leader in just a couple of years! Higher pay means all of us benefit.”
Fourth Brother Qin Wang raised his hand excitedly.“I swear, once I join the army, I’ll send home my entire salary every month!”
Anyway, he was only eighteen. Marriage was a long way off. If he became a squad leader or platoon leader, he could marry a beautiful and educated wife just like Brother Zixuan!
Qin Xing, the eldest son in the family, would inherit their parents in the future. If Qin Wang sent more money home, Qin Xing would get more as well.
Thinking of this, Qin Xing turned to persuade his wife.
“Wife, Little Sister is right. Dad really can’t send two people to the sewing team at once. Don’t worry—when you’re close to giving birth, we’ll just ask for leave and stay at home instead of going to work.”
Hearing this, Xu Hui stopped talking. Her hand clenched tightly beneath the table. She looked at Xia Chunhua and Qin Qin with hatred. Then she lowered her head, touching her swollen belly, and a hint of calculation flashed in her eyes.
…
Qin Daniu worked quickly—within a few days, Meng Yue had been transferred to the sewing team.
With this, Li Shulan felt that both her daughters-in-law were finally settled.
Perhaps because joining the sewing team wasn’t considered a “formal job,” the system didn’t give her any extra reward.
But Li Shulan didn’t mind.
She hadn’t done any of this for rewards anyway.
Now that neither daughter-in-law had to work in the fields, she finally felt relieved.
Every day, she focused on improving their nutrition and harvesting all the beans, eggplants, peppers, cucumbers, and more from the backyard garden—half for pickling, half for drying.
Her sons loved pickles, so she had to make plenty to send to them each month to mix with rice.
She even dug up a new patch of land beside the original vegetable garden to plant cabbage, white radish, carrots, spinach…
Pickled radish was crisp and refreshing. Spicy cabbage and sour cabbage were favorites of both daughters-in-law—she had to plant more!
One day, while Li Shulan was sewing in the west room, she heard the postman shouting:
“Li Shulan! You’ve got mail!”
She hurried out—it must be the in-laws’ reply.
For the first time in both lives, she was receiving a letter from her in-laws. Her heart felt strangely uneasy. In her previous life, she had practically killed their two daughters…
Meng Yue also heard and came out, eyes full of anticipation.
Li Shulan urged, “Eldest daughter-in-law, hurry and pour some cold tea for the comrade postman—add more sugar!”
“Okay!” Meng Yue rushed to pour the tea.
Ever since the weather turned hot, Li Shulan brewed honeysuckle tea every morning. Especially for Su Xiao—teaching in the heat caused her to get ‘hot air,’ so Li Shulan filled a whole military canteen for her every day.
The postman was a young man in his early twenties, skin tanned dark, teeth bright white when he smiled.
“No need, Auntie. I brought my own water.” He patted his military canteen.
Just then, Meng Yue came back with a big mug of iced tea.
Li Shulan took it and shoved it into the young man’s hands. “Auntie made this honeysuckle tea—drink it to cool off.”
She shook his canteen and realized he was almost out of water, so she had Meng Yue refill it with honeysuckle tea before letting him go.
When he left, Li Shulan immediately handed the letters to her eldest daughter-in-law—two in total.
“Eldest daughter-in-law, quick, see if it’s a reply from your parents!”
Meng Yue accepted the letters—both sent from the provincial machinery factory.
She opened the first one.
Inside were two sheets of paper.
The salutation read: Dear Xiaoxiao.
“Mom! This one is from my parents—it’s for Xiao Xiao. Here, hold it. I’ll open the other one.”
She unfolded the second letter.
“Dear Yue’er, We were very happy to receive your letter…”