Lu Zhangshi was walking while scolding:
“Your grandfather is over sixty and still working in the fields! And look at your family—so many lying in bed, slacking off. You don’t do the laundry and even killed my chicken? Tomorrow, I’ll make your grandfather marry you off!”
Xu Nian’an heard the scolding and a flash of anger crossed her eyes. The reason the second branch of the family could look down on the first branch had a lot to do with Grandma favoring the younger son.
Xu Nian’an had been married into the Lu family for a few months, and even though the family was large, she had mostly figured out the dynamics.
Old Man Lu was a typical rural man—though he was the head of the household, he was the type to bury himself in work and not concern himself with family politics.
He had six children in total: the eldest daughter Lu Zhaodi, Xu Nian’an’s father-in-law Lu Zhiqiang, the second son Lu Zhiwei, the youngest daughter Lu Xiaoman, and a younger son, Lu Chengye, who was still studying.
The second son, Lu Zhiwei, had been weak since childhood, and Lu Zhangshi doted on him like he was her heart’s treasure, pushing the others to work harder.
Even when his grandchildren were grown and married, Lu Zhiwei hadn’t been allowed to take over land; the reasoning was that as the elder brother, it was Lu Zhiqiang’s duty to support the younger brother’s family.
Most of the family’s land was tended by Xu Nian’an’s father-in-law and eldest uncle’s families. Recently, the eldest aunt, Cao Yanhua, was too pregnant to work in the fields. Now, even Old Man Lu was helping during the busy farming season.
As for Lu Zhiwei’s eldest son, Lu Chengjia, his name was still undecided.
He was always absent, claiming he was looking for work in the city, but no one had actually seen him work.
Every task seemed to be someone else’s responsibility; in short, he was a good-for-nothing.
The second daughter, Lu Xiuxiu, was the one who had pushed Xu Nian’an into the water during an argument.
Youngest son Lu Chengye was still studying, and his grades weren’t great either.
If Lu Zhangshi’s heart were a pyramid, the second son Lu Zhiwei and his family would be at the very tip.
After them came Old Man Lu and Lu Zhiqiang.
The two daughters stayed at the very bottom.
Xu Nian’an took a deep breath and walked out of the house.
Lu Zhiqiang was standing in the courtyard, hands on his hips, scolding Lu Xiulian, and next door, the eldest aunt Cao Yanhua also stepped out, hands on her hips.
“Oh, look at our two precious ladies finally coming out. Someone unaware might think our Lu family has two more postpartum ladies again.”
Lu Zhangshi rolled her eyes and began speaking sarcastically when she saw them.
Cao Yanhua’s eyes immediately welled up. Ever since she had given birth to a daughter, Grandma had looked at her with nothing but displeasure. Now, even her younger siblings were getting scolded because of her.
Xu Nian’an snorted coldly and her words came out like a rapid-fire machine gun:
“Exactly! The family is full of lazybones. Grandma, you really need to keep an eye on Second Uncle’s family. At this age, they’re all leeching off you and Grandpa. Grandpa is almost seventy and still working in the fields. Second Uncle looks healthier than I do, yet he can’t even go outside to work. Second Uncle doesn’t care about you or Grandpa. He didn’t even marry a diligent wife. People in the village must be gossiping about him nonstop. If my family had a son like him, we’d be better off if he drowned at birth. Unlike my parents, who care about Grandpa’s hard work and don’t even have time to eat lunch, Second Uncle lounges at home, eating well, while even directing you to cook special meals for him. Honestly, having him is worse than having a slab of roast pork!”
Seeing Lu Zhangshi momentarily speechless, Xu Nian’an continued relentlessly:
“Grandma, you’re right, lazybones are just born lazy. My cousin goes out every day claiming to look for work, while secretly stealing from the household. During busy farming times, my eldest uncle works himself to exhaustion, and Chengyu is out doing dangerous assignments. Meanwhile, he’s out with his bad friends gambling. Mark my words, those friends will probably get caught sooner or later. And Xiuxiu? She’s money-hungry, reaching for things she shouldn’t. When I refused, she pushed me into the water. Truly, a family like this shouldn’t even live under the same roof. Dad slacks off, eldest cousin steals, sister kills chickens! Grandma, you really need to get control of this!”
Lu Zhangshi, furious, gasped for breath.
“You… you little money-waster! What nonsense are you talking about?”
When Xu Nian’an married into the family, her dowry was 500 yuan—a price so low it could barely be weighed out by the pound.
For several nights, Lu Zhangshi hadn’t slept well over it.
As for Lu Chengyu, the soldier, he only sent 10 yuan home from his monthly salary, the rest went to marry this “worthless” woman!
In Lu Zhangshi’s eyes, Xu Nian’an was worth nothing more than a few hundred yuan walking around.
Seeing Lu Zhangshi searching for something to hit with, Cao Yanhua quickly stepped in front of Xu Nian’an to protect her from being struck.
Xu Nian’an felt a warmth in her chest, stepped around Cao Yanhua, and continued:
“Grandma, even though Second Uncle is unfilial, don’t get too angry. You might harm yourself; if you get sick, Second Uncle won’t care, but my parents will. Second Uncle doesn’t understand things—just pretend he was never born. My dad, though, is famous for being filial. Look at this big chicken. My mom caught it, and Xiulian raised it carefully, thinking of everyone working hard during busy farming season. She killed one for the family to eat. Grandma, if you think it’s not enough, we can kill another one. Xiulian!”
“Ah!” Lu Xiulian’s eyes widened like copper coins. She wasn’t afraid of Grandma at all, only admiration for her sister-in-law.
She put down the half-plucked chicken, got up, and began looking for another plump one.
Her sister-in-law was right: they were the ones taking care of the chickens, so why shouldn’t they get to eat them?
Before, Grandma would cook them only for Second Uncle’s family; the first branch just cleaned up the feathers!
Hearing that another chicken might be killed, Lu Zhangshi had no choice but to protect it and quickly stepped in to block Xiulian.
“Don’t kill it! This is my chicken.”
After protecting the chicken, she turned back and started scolding Xu Nian’an:
“You meddlesome girl! How dare you make up things about Second Uncle—he’s your elder! And your cousin—he goes out at dawn to look for work. How can it be stealing if I give him a little pocket money? How dare you calculate family finances?”
Lu Zhangshi was now fiercely protecting her “little treasures.”
As for this granddaughter-in-law, she dared not strike her like the other two because she was too strong from her own family.
Xu Nian’an stood tall:
“Grandma, I’m worried about you and Grandpa. Look how angry you are, almost ready to strike. You get mad, Second Uncle doesn’t care, but my parents do. Grandma, these chickens aren’t labeled with Second Uncle’s name. Why can’t Grandpa eat them? He works so hard—why not let him? Xiulian and I wanted to give him something nourishing. Why is your opinion so strict?”
In the countryside, small things drew a crowd. The audience around the courtyard was eager to see Xu Nian’an talk even more.
Second Uncle Lu Zhiwei couldn’t sit still in the house, and Lu Xiuxiu rushed out first.
“Sister-in-law, how can you talk to Grandma like that? You’re making her angry! We’re only concerned about you. Being unfilial will be criticized!”
Hearing this teasing voice, Xu Nian’an rolled her eyes.
Before she could reply, Lu Xiuxiu was splashed with a basin of water from the partially plucked chicken by Lu Xiulian.
“When Sister-in-law was sick, you didn’t care. And how is my sister-in-law unfilial? My parents praise her for being filial. If you have nothing better to do, go help in the fields. Don’t bully my sister-in-law again!”
Lu Xiulian jumped a few times, still managing to get some water on her dress, and left with a huff.
Xu Nian’an’s sharp tongue would deal with her only after Grandpa returned!