When Xu Nian’an arrived at the Lu family home, Second Uncle Lu was lying under a tree in the courtyard, enjoying the shade.
Two chickens were milling around beside him.
Lu Xiulian happened to be hanging out the laundry. When she saw Xu Nian’an return, her eyes lit up. She immediately put down the clothes in her hands and came over to help unload the goods tied to the back of the bicycle.
“Sister-in-law, you’re back so soon?”
She had thought her sister-in-law would be staying away for several more days. With Xu Nian’an gone these past two days, the people from the second branch had started getting cocky again.
The two of them carried the things back to the room.
Lu Xiulian told Xu Nian’an everything that had happened at home recently.
Lu Xiuxiu had been setting up a stall these past few days and had made quite a bit of money. As a result, she had become arrogant and bossy around the house.
Even the eldest sister-in-law, Cao Yanhua, had gotten fed up with her and, despite her pregnant belly, had taken her daughter and gone out.
With it being the busy farming season, no one had much spare time. Even Grandpa and Grandma had gone up the mountain to help gather firewood.
Lu Xiulian had just finished washing clothes for the whole family, and now she was being made to wash the second branch’s clothes again.
As for the pig intestines and such, Lu Xiuxiu had the family wash the easy things like pig head meat and liver themselves, while dumping the troublesome pig intestines on Lu Xiulian.
She was constantly finding fault with her no matter how she washed them.
In just two short days, Lu Xiulian’s hands had turned pale from soaking in water, and she felt like the smell of pig intestines had seeped into her bones.
Seeing how pitiful she looked, Xu Nian’an poured her a cup of water and secretly added a few drops of spiritual spring water to it.
“With her causing such a fuss, doesn’t the old lady keep her in check at all?” Xu Nian’an asked.
Lu Xiulian sighed. “You know how it is—Grandma dotes on Second Uncle the most.
“The very day you left, Second Uncle stopped going out to the fields. Grandma even killed a chicken to nourish him.
“The rest of us aside—even Big Sister-in-law didn’t get so much as a chicken bone.”
It wasn’t that they craved the food; it was just that Grandma’s behavior was hard to stomach.
“It’s just a chicken,” Xu Nian’an said calmly. “Kill another one and make it especially for Big Sister-in-law.
“If everyone’s working together as a family, then the money should be shared too.”
Lu Xiulian’s eyes immediately lit up. No wonder her sister-in-law was so capable—this was something only she would dare to think of, let alone say.
Only then did Xu Nian’an take out the clothes she had bought for Lu Xiulian.
Lu Xiulian held the dress up against herself, loving it beyond words.
“Sister-in-law, you’re really too good to me.”
She ran back to the room to try it on and then came back out to show Xu Nian’an.
“Mm, looks like I have good taste. It suits you very well.”
Lu Xiulian’s eyes reddened. This was the first time in her life she had ever worn such nice clothes. Most of her previous clothes had been hand-me-downs from older sisters.
As for Lu Xiuxiu’s better clothes—even when they were too small, she would never give them to her.
Thinking of the grievances she’d endured over the past few days made her heart ache even more.
Xu Nian’an gently wiped away her tears and patted her cheek. “Don’t worry. I’ll help you get justice.”
Just as they were about to say more, a rustling sound came from afar.
“Grandma must be dragging firewood back,” Lu Xiulian said.
She didn’t even have time to change back out of the dress and hurried into the courtyard to continue hanging the laundry.
“You dead girl! You hear me coming back and don’t come help? And dressed so nicely—where did you get that skirt?”
The moment Old Madam Lu entered the courtyard, she started scolding.
“Second Uncle, really now—Grandma’s calling for you to help. She’s dragging so much firewood, and you don’t move at all?
“At your age, how can you still be sleeping? Look how angry you’ve made Grandma. She just lectured you a few days ago, and today you’ve already forgotten?”
Xu Nian’an spoke as she went over to lend a hand—how much effort she used was entirely up to her.
Hearing the familiar scolding, Second Uncle Lu could no longer pretend to sleep. He got up from the chair and started dragging branches.
Old Madam Lu was displeased that her youngest son was being scolded again by this wretched girl, but she also felt Xu Nian’an had a point.
After all, it made no sense for parents to work themselves to death while their son slept soundly.
Xu Nian’an pattered off to the kitchen and then pattered back, a cleaver in her hand.
“Second Uncle, here—chop this firewood.”
The bundle of firewood in Lu Zhiwei’s hands suddenly felt as heavy as a thousand pounds. He could only take the cleaver from Xu Nian’an.
He’d originally planned to wait for his older brother to come back and do the chopping.
Old Madam Lu didn’t feel sorry for her son at all—she herself had started doing this kind of work when she was just a few years old. Now that Zhiwei’s health had improved, doing some labor wouldn’t hurt him.
“Grandma, don’t you think Lu Xiulian’s clothes look nice?” Xu Nian’an said brightly. “I bought fabric for everyone to make new clothes.
“Come on, to my room—I’ll show you.”
Ever since Xu Nian’an married into the family, Old Madam Lu had never entered her room. She knew there were plenty of good things inside and had long been curious.
When she saw the bolts of fabric in different colors spread across the entire bed, her eyes nearly popped out.
The colors Xu Nian’an had chosen were all practical, everyday shades that elderly people could wear. Any piece would do.
“You wretched girl—how much money did this cost?” Old Madam Lu muttered.
She wanted to reach out and touch the fabric, but then remembered her hands were dirty and pulled them back.
“Grandma, this is just me being filial,” Xu Nian’an said sweetly. “Spending money on you is only right.
“These fabrics are for you and my parents-in-law to make clothes with.
“You and Grandpa pick two pieces to take with you. I even asked the shop assistant—she said this fabric is the most breathable and comfortable to wear in summer.”
Old Madam Lu smiled so broadly that her mouth wouldn’t close. She hurried outside to wash her hands before coming back in, then touched each piece of fabric one by one.
In the end, she chose a dark navy piece and a gray one.
“Grandma,” Xu Nian’an said casually, “I heard that while I was away, our family made quite a bit of money. How much was it? Tell me—I’ll be happy just hearing about it.”
If anyone else had asked that question, Old Madam Lu would have assumed they were eyeing the money.
But Xu Nian’an was different. She was a young lady from a well-off family, and Old Madam Lu always felt she was a notch lower in front of her. On top of that, Xu Nian’an had just bought her cloth for new clothes. For the first time, Old Madam Lu truly felt like a respected elder.
Just as she was about to boast, the words reached her lips and then were swallowed back.
How much money was it, really? She didn’t actually know.
Lu Xiulian had only handed over ten yuan, and then later said she needed to buy meat and took it back again.
“Grandma, Xiuxiu’s meat is selling really well. She sets up her stall right outside my dad’s factory gate. Just our family alone bought three portions in one day.
“My dad said it was never enough to sell—city folks are fighting over it.
“Three mao per portion. I figure one jin of pig intestines makes about five or six portions. Xiuxiu’s made quite a bit recently.”
“Three mao for such a small portion? Why doesn’t she just rob people?” Old Madam Lu snapped. “How could anyone buy that?”
Lu Xiuxiu had told the family she was only selling for five fen a portion, crying poor every day. But Xu Nian’an wasn’t the type to lie.
Old Madam Lu’s heart wavered. For a moment, she didn’t know who to believe. Could it be that the granddaughter she had raised since childhood was lying to her?
She had always treated Lu Xiuxiu much better than Lu Xiulian. After all, Xiuxiu was the older sister.
Seeing doubt take root in Old Madam Lu’s heart, Xu Nian’an added fuel to the fire.
“Of course people buy it. Everyone’s too lazy to cook these days. There are lots of people selling food in the city now.
“Especially factory workers—they make forty yuan a month. Spending three mao on a portion of braised meat is perfectly normal. It’s not like they eat it every day.
“One machinery factory alone has several thousand workers. Grandma, don’t underestimate these small businesses—my dad says quite a few of them make good money.
“Xiuxiu’s probably stashing away a little private fund right now, getting ready to surprise you.”
There really were that many people at the machinery factory—but stalls could only be set up there for one day. Her father had already spoken to someone; Lu Xiuxiu wouldn’t be able to sell at the factory gate again.
And it was true that her family had bought three portions in one day, at three mao each—so it wasn’t a lie.
Xu Nian’an watched as Old Madam Lu no longer paid attention to the cloth, her mind clearly elsewhere, and headed straight toward Lu Xiuxiu’s room.
Nearby, Lu Zhiwei was still chopping firewood, wiping sweat from his brow, completely unaware of what was happening.