Li Xingyue took the silver, cast a cold glance around the courtyard, and said sharply, “I didn’t come today just for the money. I have two things to say.”
She looked at Gu Dashan and Mrs. Qian. “Second Uncle, Second Aunt, the main branch is not so easy to bully.”
Then she turned to Old Gu. “Grandfather, we as the younger generation cannot change your favoritism toward the second branch. But if you ever plan to exploit the main branch to support them again, it will never happen!”
“Grandfather, Grandmother, we’ve already divided the family. If you’ve forgotten how the division happened, you can take out the family separation documents and read them again.”
With that, Li Xingyue, holding little Yanran’s hand in one hand and Gu Wan’er’s in the other, turned and left.
Everyone in the second branch was furious. Old Gu was so upset he stayed in bed for several days and didn’t go back to the fields.
When Li Xingyue and the others returned, they saw Zhou pacing anxiously in the courtyard.
“Finally, you’re back! I was worried sick. Did the second branch give you any trouble?” she asked, her face full of anxiety.
Li Xingyue replied calmly, “Mother, don’t worry. The second branch wouldn’t dare do anything to us.”
Zhou still felt uneasy.
Gu Wan’er finally relaxed and smiled. “Mother, Sister-in-law is amazing! She even got compensation from Second Brother.”
Zhou paused, then frowned. “It’s good to get the money back, but the second branch won’t let this go easily. We’ll have to be careful from now on.”
Li Xingyue nodded. “Mother, you’re right, but we don’t need to fear them either.”
Gu Wan’er looked at her sister-in-law with admiration. Her sister-in-law was truly formidable!
Li Xingyue put the silver away and comforted little Yanran thoroughly.
She then took out the fabrics bought today and handed them to Zhou and Gu Wan’er to make clothes.
Pastel yellow and water green would each be made into a set for herself, Gu Wan’er, and little Yanran. The lake-blue fabric could be worn by boys or girls, so she decided to make several more sets for the child in her womb.
Zhou’s expression was less than pleased.
“Yue-niang, you already made one set yesterday in moon-white. Take one of these fabrics back; one set per person is enough,” Zhou said.
Li Xingyue felt frustrated but patiently explained, “Mother, yesterday’s was for sleepwear. I wear it to bed. Today, I want to make outer garments.”
“The weather is getting warmer, and I want a couple of sets in nice colors.”
Zhou mentally grumbled: she’s not some noble young lady—why bother making special clothes just for sleeping?
Still, she insisted, “Yue-niang, clothes should be enough. Keep the water-green fabric aside for now. Make the pastel yellow into a set for each of you three.”
Li Xingyue inwardly sighed. Ancient mothers-in-law were truly controlling. Fine, from now on she and Wan’er would handle it themselves.
After the small argument, her stomach reminded her it was time to eat.
Li Xingyue once again volunteered to cook lunch.
She cooked dry rice with coarse grains, stir-fried a little pork belly with carrots, made tomato scrambled eggs, and stir-fried cabbage with pork fat. Every dish contained meat.
By the time Gu Qishan returned from the fields, the meal was ready.
Seeing the dry rice and three oily dishes on the table, Zhou almost jumped in shock.
Dry rice? How many grains went to waste? Three greasy dishes—how much oil did that use? Were they trying to ruin the household finances?
With so much fabric bought for clothes and now this lavish meal… this prodigal daughter-in-law!
Zhou’s face turned green with anger as she pointed at the table, voice trembling, “Li Xingyue, are you trying to eat this family into poverty? Coarse rice is expensive, meat and oil are precious, and eggs… you… you just indulge like this!”
Li Xingyue held back her anger and said calmly, “Mother, although we are not rich, life is better than before. The rice, vegetables, and eggs are bought with my money. Wan’er and Yanran are growing, and Father works hard—we need good food for nourishment.”
Gu Wan’er supported her, “Mother, Sister-in-law is right. Now that our family’s life is better, there’s no need to be stingy. People are like iron, food is like steel. Eat well to have energy for work.”
She added, “From now on, I’ll go up the mountain to dig herbs and sell them every day. Mother, you just eat in peace.”
After saying this, she went to fetch two strings of copper coins and handed them to Zhou.
Zhou glared at her and then turned to Li Xingyue.
Li Xingyue ignored it. She would continue to provide food for the family, but she didn’t want Zhou handling money. Keeping it herself felt safest.
“You just eat, eat, eat,” Zhou muttered, taking the coins back to her room.
She silently returned the pork and carrot dish to the kitchen and swapped it for a bowl of pickled vegetables. Li Xingyue could only shake her head.
Gu Wan’er glanced at her sister-in-law, stuck out her tongue, and dared not speak.
“That dish can be saved for dinner,” Zhou said coldly, then sat down to eat.
Gu Qishan casually said, “Let’s eat. In the past, we had only two watery meals a day. Now we even have dry rice—vegetables or not, it’s fine.”
The atmosphere at the table was a bit awkward. Everyone kept their heads down and ate.
Gu Qishan glanced at Zhou, hesitated, then said, “Li Xingyue has a point. Now that our household is better off, it’s fine to occasionally eat something good.”
Zhou snorted, “Hmph, only you protect the children. In life, one has to count every penny, or we’ll run out of money eventually.”
Li Xingyue said nothing but thought about discussing consumption habits with Zhou later—though she didn’t feel she had the patience.
At that moment, little Yanran timidly said, “Mama, I want to eat meat.”
Before Li Xingyue could answer, Zhou frowned. “A child doesn’t need to eat so much meat. Pickled vegetables are enough for growth.”
Little Yanran’s eyes welled up, and she was about to cry.
Li Xingyue, feeling her heart ache, quickly put a large piece of egg on her plate and whispered, “Mama will give you some dried meat later.”
Gu Wan’er also placed a piece of tomato on Yanran’s plate. “Eat this, Yanran. Sweet and sour, very tasty.”
Little Yanran finally stopped crying and focused on her food.
Li Xingyue ate only half a bowl of coarse rice before taking little Yanran back to nap.
Once inside, she retrieved two sausages and two packs of dried meat from her storage space and shared them with Yanran.
Forgive her—she could only sneak treats for herself.
“Yanran, Mama and you are secretly eating something good. You cannot tell anyone. Otherwise, we’ll never get to eat this again,” Li Xingyue said solemnly.
Little Yanran looked confused. “Not even Grandpa and Grandma?”
Li Xingyue nodded. “This is our secret. No one can know—not Grandpa, Grandma, or even Aunt.”
Little Yanran didn’t fully understand, but nodded in agreement.
Even with all this caution, Zhou still managed to bring endless trouble to Li Xingyue.