Qushui Village was as peaceful as ever. The sun hung low in the sky, slanting across the horizon. A gentle breeze stirred, and even the cicadas sounded less harsh in the cooler evening air.
Lu Xiuxiu was already at the village entrance, sitting on the ox cart, her pockets stuffed with the ten or so yuan she had earned and the spices she had bought.
She felt a quiet sense of pride. She was nothing like her useless brother in the Lu family. Every day he ran to the city and still couldn’t find work. As for her, she only had to make a small move, and money came easily.
Today, she had seen it firsthand—people were practically scrambling to buy her braised pork intestines!
Of course, she knew the business had picked up because several members of the Xu family had bought from her.
It seemed that Xu Nian’an not dying wasn’t entirely without advantage. Lu Xiuxiu planned to earn even more, and next time she went to the city, she would negotiate with the Xu family to rent a stall in the machinery factory cafeteria.
After all, the factory employed thousands of workers. If she could get a stall there, earning a hundred yuan a day wouldn’t be a problem.
She remembered that in her previous life, Xu Nian’an had died in autumn. The water was getting cold then, and after falling in, her body froze and couldn’t withstand the heat—she hadn’t survived.
She had to make money quickly and get the Xu family to help secure the stall before her death.
“Grandpa, Grandma, Mom and Dad, I’m home!” Lu Xiuxiu called as she carried the bucket into the courtyard, glancing around.
The whole family was there, except Xu Nian’an.
The past few days, the second branch had been helping with farm work, which sped things up, and Lu Zhigang’s family could return home earlier.
Qin Hong quickly came out to help Lu Xiuxiu with the heavy bucket.
“You’re back just in time, Xiuxiu. Dinner is ready.”
Holding the bucket, Qin Hong’s smile widened. Judging by the weight, all the braised meat had been sold.
As mother and daughter were about to slip inside to chat privately, Lu Zhangshi reached out toward Lu Xiuxiu.
“Grandma, what are you reaching for?” Lu Xiuxiu pretended not to understand.
“Of course, the money! You used my spices and firewood. The money you earned belongs to the family!”
“Grandma, the meat was my uncle’s—”
Before she could finish, Lu Zhangshi slapped her.
“What do you mean ‘my uncle’s’? Your stingy uncle wouldn’t give you a cent if a dog walked past him. Do you think I’m senile? I and your grandfather run this house! All money earned here goes to the family!”
Ignoring Lu Xiuxiu’s struggles, Lu Zhangshi reached into her pocket. Soon, she had sixteen yuan in her hand.
Her expression flickered. Over the years, she had scrimped and saved for the household, counting every penny. She didn’t believe Lu Xiuxiu could have sold a few braised intestines for so much—surely she had been hiding money all along.
The first branch had always handed over every penny they earned. The second branch didn’t work and hid private funds.
Had Xu Nian’an been right? Had the second branch tricked her elderly self?
“Grandma, I earned this money with my own hard work. You can’t take it!”
Money in her grandmother’s hands would just be saved away, but in hers, it could grow into even more money.
Lu Xiuxiu seized the moment and snatched the money back, running to the courtyard entrance and shouting toward the house, crying:
“Grandma, my parents can take the money they earn—that’s fine. But this is my hard-earned money. If it stays with me, I can make even more. Chengyu cousin doesn’t even give all his army earnings to you, so why should I hand over mine? I won’t!”
She had thought it through: if Lu Zhangshi pursued her, she would run outside and return home only at night. Her grandmother doted on her father, and this money belonged to the second branch. Her father would support her.
Lu Zhangshi panted, chest heaving. Over the years, she had suppressed the first branch and even collected money from her grandchildren—for the second branch!
Otherwise, with Zhihui’s poor health, Qin Hong managing the household, and the three children in the second branch studying, how could they afford it?
They scraped by on the land; only the eldest brother’s Chengzu helped with the family’s labor and schooling expenses. Chengyu had joined the army right after high school, sending ten yuan home every month.
Now, his wife was already showing dissatisfaction. If the second branch earned money and didn’t contribute, the first branch would grumble. How could she continue managing this family well?
Lu Zhiwei saw his daughter had earned money and agreed that the younger generation shouldn’t be forced to hand over everything. After these past exhausting days in the fields, this money deserved to buy some good food to recover.
“Ahem…” he weakly interposed, blocking his mother. “Mom, it’s not easy for Xiuxiu to make money. Xu Nian’an and her group didn’t hand over their earnings either. Qin Hong and I contributed to the household work. These past days exhausted me. Tomorrow, buy some meat to taste, Mom, you’re the best.”
Seeing her son-in-law step in, Zhou Guixiang glared but knew the money wasn’t coming back. She stormed to the kitchen to fetch dishes.
Luckily, when her son had left home last time, he had given her five hundred yuan. She would take two hundred to compensate Xu Nian’an later.
Lu Xiuxiu saw that the eldest uncle and aunt didn’t object—this meant the matter was settled.
She calmly sat down at the table, looking at Lu Xiulian. “Oh? Does your little sister-in-law need someone to treat her to a meal?”
Lu Xiulian glanced at her sideways. Ever since she had killed the chicken yesterday, she realized that in this house, just working hard wasn’t enough.
And going against elders wasn’t really that scary.
“Grandma! If Lu Xiuxiu can keep her earnings, can’t my brother keep his too? He doesn’t live at home or eat here!”
“Has your sister-in-law been shorted?” Lu Zhangshi’s hard-won temper flared again. That Xu Nian’an girl had even corrupted her most obedient granddaughter.
Lu Xiulian grinned. “Grandma, when has my sister-in-law ever come home without bringing gifts? Think about the malted milk powder in your room, or the time she went with me to the supply cooperative and didn’t forget to get beer for Grandpa. Look around our village—how many families would spend money on beer? And look at Lu Xiuxiu—she earned over ten yuan but doesn’t recognize you. My sister-in-law wouldn’t do that. And yesterday, for one necklace, she pushed my sister-in-law into the water. She got so mad she went home—and if she didn’t return, Lu Xiuxiu would ruin the military marriage!”
Lu Xiuxiu was about to snap at Lu Xiulian when she remembered that Xu Nian’an had returned home today. She recalled the starkly different attitude of the gatekeeper this afternoon.
Ah, Xu Nian’an had gone to complain. The Xu family probably now held a grudge against her.
“All right!” Old Lu rapped on the bowl. “If you don’t want to eat, go out. Xiuxiu, give ten yuan to Grandma and keep the rest as capital for next time.”
Seeing the eldest daughter crying from fear, Old Lu sighed. He was already a great-grandfather—he should be thinking about dividing the family.
He had previously worried that after a split, the second branch couldn’t support itself. Now that the second branch could earn money on its own, he decided to observe for a few more months.
If the second branch had its own livelihood, let the Lu family split. He and his wife could manage on their own, and the two sons could be given a little; they could still grow vegetables and survive.
With Grandpa’s decision, Lu Xiuxiu had no choice but to hand over ten yuan to Grandma.