Yuan Ni happened to see this, and after thinking for a moment, she quietly followed them out.
Old Fifth of the Chen family pulled Yuan Ni’s Mother over to the edge of the haystack, gritting his teeth and refusing to speak.
Yuan Ni’s Mother was baffled. “Xuewen, what exactly do you need from me?”
Old Fifth of the Chen family was named Chen Xuewen. He let out a long sigh. “Third Sister, I didn’t want to bring this up with you, but…”
“Xuewen, what are you trying to say? You know your Third Sister isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed. If you keep beating around the bush like this, I won’t understand.”
“It’s like this—a few days ago, Father and Mother brought four gifts and went to the Yang family to formally propose. Xiaofang will be married into our family next month. That room of mine was supposed to be the bridal chamber, but now you’ve moved in with the children. Where am I supposed to get married?”
Old Fifth of the Chen family wore a pained expression. His Third Sister was too muddled—hadn’t she noticed all the newly made furniture in his room? Did she really just move in with the children like that?
“Ah? This…” Yuan Ni’s Mother hadn’t expected that returning home after her divorce would cause such trouble for her younger brother.
In fact, before Yuan Ni’s Mother was married, she had lived in that very room that Chen Xuewen now occupied. Back then, Chen Xuewen was still young and had shared a room with Old Fourth of the Chen family.
Yuan Ni’s Mother had thought she was simply returning to her old maiden room, but she never imagined that things had changed so much—some things could never go back to the way they were.
“Third Sister, I understand your situation, but you have to understand mine as your younger brother. If you ask me, it’s fine for you to stay at our parents’ house with the children for a few days, but you can’t stay long. Otherwise, I won’t even be able to get married.”
“Is this your idea, or Mother and Father’s?” Yuan Ni’s Mother grew even more distressed. If she couldn’t return to her natal home, then where else could she go?
“Third Sister, don’t take it the wrong way. I’m not chasing you out, I’m just…”
“Little Uncle, don’t worry. We won’t take over your bridal chamber. I’ll find a suitable place tomorrow and move out.”
At that moment, Yuan Ni stepped forward.
Seeing her eldest daughter, Yuan Ni’s Mother also found some confidence. “Xuewen, don’t worry. I’ll free up the room for you as soon as possible. I won’t delay your wedding.”
“Sister, I’m really not trying to pressure you. Don’t tell Mother and Father, okay?”
Yuan Ni ignored Chen Xuewen. Fortunately, she had kept a card up her sleeve—she had hidden the money from selling the copper blocks.
As it turned out, not everyone welcomed them back with open arms. She needed to make plans early.
The aunts-in-law had already tidied up the room. Seeing Yuan Ni’s Mother lost in thought, they assumed she was just tired. “Guiying, there’s warm water in the big pot. Wash up with the children and get some rest early.”
Hongqi Dadui had a lot of miscellaneous affairs, and the uncles had to go out on work assignments and wake up early.
The bedding had been shared from various households. Grandmother said that once the year-end work points were settled, they’d figure out a way to get cotton and make new quilts. For now, they’d make do.
The weather wasn’t too cold, and Zhaodie and Pandi fell asleep as soon as they closed their eyes.
Yuan Ni’s Mother let out a deep sigh. “Yuan Ni, what if… we go back to the Yuan family?”
She was truly at her wit’s end, and she couldn’t stay at the Chen family’s place and ruin her brother’s life.
Yuan Ni had a hundred yuan in her hands. Even if she didn’t earn any money, that sum alone would be enough to build a small house.
So she spoke with particular confidence. “We’re not going back. Going back to the Yuan family would be no better than jumping into a pit of fire.”
“But your little uncle…”
“Mother, how much would it cost to build a house in the village?”
“Your maternal grandfather has the skills; we just need to scrape together enough money for bricks and tiles, probably around eighty or ninety.”
“If that’s the case, I’m confident we can gather the money for bricks and tiles. But you’ll need to cooperate.”
“Where are you going to get the money? We can’t go in for speculation and profiteering.”
“Listen to me, here’s what we’ll do.”
Yuan Ni lowered her voice and laid out the plan. A person can’t just sit idle and eat through their savings—she’d long thought of a way to earn money, she just feared Mother wouldn’t go along with it.
Unexpectedly, the youngest uncle gave Mother a push from behind, and this was just the chance to persuade her.
“Will that work? Will we get caught?” Yuan Ni’s Mother was a bit scared.
“No, we’ll be trading eggs for goods and then selling them to the Gongxiaoshe. That doesn’t violate the rules.”
Yuan Ni’s Mother wanted to object further—everyone had been cowed by years of crackdowns—but the moment she thought of Chen Xuewen’s upcoming wedding and how they’d need to vacate the house for him, the words of opposition dried up in her throat.
She couldn’t go back to the Yuan family, and she couldn’t delay her brother’s marriage. If she kept wavering in fear of every wolf ahead and every tiger behind, she’d end up moving her daughters to sleep out on the threshing ground.
“Fine. Tomorrow, we’ll ask your grandfather. If he also gives his blessing, then I’ll join you in this.”
And so, on the first night back in Hongqi Dadui, Yuan Ni and her mother settled on their plan to earn money.
The plan was actually quite simple. At the moment, private buying and selling were forbidden.
What Yuan Ni intended to do was to exploit a loophole in the policy.
She’d put up the money first, buy needles and thread in bulk from a wholesale point, then use those items to trade for eggs in the village.
Once she’d collected eggs, she’d sell them to the Gongxiaoshe.
That way, throughout the whole process, she’d never engaged in private dealing, so it wouldn’t count as speculation and profiteering.
Early the next morning, Yuan Ni’s Mother, making sure no one was around, quickly told her old father about Yuan Ni’s plan. “I think this method might work. I’m not asking for much profit—just enough to earn the money for bricks and tiles.”
Yuan Ni’s Maternal Grandfather let out a sigh. “I thought Xuewen was a decent sort, that he’d consider things for you, his third sister. Turns out he’s only thinking of himself. Child, you don’t need to worry about housing. Your mother and I still have a bit of money saved up. Today, I’ll go and order the tiles to help you build a house.”
“Father, we can’t use your money. Otherwise, the sisters-in-law will start gossiping.”
Among the Chen brothers, three were already married. If their wives found out that their in-laws were subsidizing a married daughter, there was bound to be trouble.
Yuan Ni’s Maternal Grandfather glanced at Yuan Ni’s Mother. “Your arm’s still in a cast. Can you even do the work?”
Yuan Ni’s Mother blushed a little. “I can’t do heavy work right now, but Yuan Ni said she’ll do the heavy pushing of the cart. When we go into the villages to trade for eggs, I’ll stay and mind the stall.”
Yuan Ni’s Maternal Grandfather mulled it over for a long while, and truly, there was no better option. “Then let’s do it that way.”
The old couple couldn’t bear to see Yuan Ni and her mother suffer any more. But there were still several children in the household—sons were their own flesh and blood, yet daughters-in-law were ultimately outsiders. So they had to keep the scales balanced, to avoid giving the wives any reason to complain.
That was the shrewdness of the old Chens. No matter how much they quietly gave behind closed doors, at least on the surface they treated everyone equally.
That same noon, Yuan Ni’s Maternal Grandfather brought the matter up at the dinner table.
“Xuewen’s marriage is a big affair, so Guiying is taking her daughters to trade eggs. As for the rest of you, if you can lend a hand, lend it. If you can’t, then don’t say anything sour. In this life, who hasn’t hit a rough patch?”
The moment he finished speaking, everyone’s gaze immediately turned in unison toward Chen Xuewen.
Chen Xuewen’s face flushed red. He opened his mouth and stammered for a long while, but in the end, not a single word came out.
Yuan Ni’s Maternal Grandfather took in the scene and felt deeply disappointed in his youngest son.
That same evening, the eldest son of the Chen family pushed back an old handcart, saying he’d fix it up a bit for Yuan Ni to use.
“Yuan Ni, you’re a girl. If you used a carrying pole, you definitely wouldn’t be able to manage the load. I borrowed this from the team—give it a try, see if you can push it.”
The handcart wasn’t large, and its rubber wheels were still fairly new. Yuan Ni gave it a test push. “It works. I’ll use this cart.”
Early the next morning, Yuan Ni set off with the handcart, together with her mother, heading for the Gongshe. They planned to first buy some needles and thread, preparing for the egg exchange.
Walking along the road, Yuan Ni’s Mother spoke with some concern, “I wonder if that person at the Gongxiaoshe is reliable?”
She was referring to Chen Wenqi. Yuan Ni had, by a twist of fate, saved Chen Wenqi’s son, though the family had already expressed their gratitude.
So this time Yuan Ni was going to call on them—she wasn’t sure whether Chen Wenqi would still be willing to do her a favor.