Over at Ge Sani's side, the family had started to distribute food. The n at ho were all eating thick corn mush, and as a son-in-law, Yuan Cheng also got the thick stuff when he ca to work. There was no need to ntion the eldest daughter, who was pregnant and naturally needed to be fed well.
Ge Sani and Li Xianglu had to make do with thin soup; the stead bread made from two-mixed flour was placed on a winnowing basket, where the n got their fill, and Li Xianglu could at most have one piece.
The whole family sat down at the table, but Li Jianwen hadn't returned yet, so Ge Sani saved so food for him.
Just after the food was served, they saw Li Jianqing co back with a happy face. He was about to speak to Li Xianglu when he noticed that everyone was at ho.
He hurriedly washed his hands and sat down. Upon seeing his younger son's return, Li Erfu frowned and chided: "You loiter outside all day long, as a young man you should help around the house more."
Li Jianqing was about to respond when Ge Sani suddenly slamd her chopsticks down on the table and said, "Enough! What are you talking about? Jianqing is still partly a child. There's no work in the fields now, so what do you expect him to do?"
Li Erfu glanced at his wife, took a big gulp of corn mush, and slowly said, "You always spoil the children, he's fifteen already, and in a few years, he'll be an adult."
Ge Sani glanced at her son, robust and well-proportioned, and couldn't help but smile proudly, thinking her son was wonderful in every way.
Li Erfu looked at his thin, small daughter sipping porridge without taking any vegetables and reached over to grab a piece of pig fat stir-fried with Old Huang cucumbers for her, "Eat more, look how thin you are. In a few days when we slaughter a pig at ho, I'll have your mom exchange so cloth tickets to make you a cotton-padded coat, it's hard to get through winter without one."
On hearing her husband's words, Ge Sani imdiately put down her chopsticks and frowned, "What are you talking about? She's just a girl, why does she need good new clothes? We can exchange half of our pork for a ten-ter cloth ticket, and we need to save the rest to give to Jianwen's teacher."
The high school departnt in the county was now enrolling students, and Li Jianwen's forr junior high school teacher had transferred to the high school there. They were going to enroll students next April, but with limited places, connections were required. Ge Sani was reluctant to spend money, but willing to part with five jin of pork for the cause.
Upon hearing this, Li Erfu frowned and said, "Aren't ten ters of cloth enough to make a cotton-padded coat for Xiang?"
Ge Sani beca sowhat angry, "Jianwen is going to high school next year, he needs at least two sets of new clothes. If he wears ragged clothes, won't he be laughed at? Why should a girl have good clothes?"
After listening, Li Erfu opened and closed his mouth without saying anything, looking quite annoyed.
At this mont, Li Jianhong rolled her eyes and deliberately pitched her thick voice higher, calling out, "Mom, I'm carrying a grandchild, you have to make a set too."
Ge Sani glanced at her daughter, then at her son-in-law, rolled her eyes, and snorted, "What are you worried about? Your child is the Yuan family's eldest grandchild; won't he lack anything to wear? But I, as the grandmother, won't shortchange him anyway."
Li Xianglu sipped on the thin soup in her bowl, had a piece of bread, and was about to head off without having much of the vegetables, when she heard Li Jianhong say, "Little sister, I'm feeling heavy now, you should wash so clothes for later."
Li Xianglu frowned and said indifferently, "Big sister, you're only three months pregnant, how can you not wash your own clothes?" With that, she turned her head to leave.
Li Jianhong heard her younger sister, whom she was used to ordering around, talking back and imdiately beca unhappy and was about to scold her.
Li Xianglu indifferently said, "Big sister is carrying the Yuan family's grandchild now, staying at her parents' house all the ti; people might think your husband has moved in if they don't know better!"
Li Xianglu's voice was quite loud, Yuan Cheng was just about to step out and heard everything clearly. His wife had been difficult ever since she got pregnant this year, beca domineering, and unreasonable. It was just a piece of clothing, and yet she even expected her younger sister-in-law to wash it for her, so he turned around and glared at Li Jianhong: "Enough with the fuss, aren't you going back? Mom has asked several tis!"
After eating, Li Xianglu still had work to do, so she added wheat bran and chopped straw to the hot water for steaming bread and began to stir it in the big pot.
In Li Family Village, every household had big stoves; Li Xianglu, at the age of fourteen, was thin and small due to chronic malnutrition, and she struggled to stir with the shovel in her hand.
After finishing his al, Li Jianqing saw his little sister struggling and quickly stepped forward to take over the stirring.
When Ge Sani was putting away the bowls, she saw her son doing the work and beca furious: "You lazy girl, are you heartless? You even get your older brother to do such work, don't you know he's still growing?" Saying this, she picked up the broom on the ground and threatened to hit.
Li Jianqing quickly moved to shield his sister, his face turned pale as he called out, "Mom!" and stared straight at Ge Sani.
At this point, Li Erfu also stood up, his face filled with anger: "Good, favoring one so much. What use is such a child to you? Might as well give her away, lest you chill her heart!"
Li Xianglu looked coldly at the woman before her, almost laughing out of anger in her heart. Was this really her own mother? So cold-blooded. She was only fourteen, small and thin, and now she was scorned for letting her brother help with work; truly, her mother's favoritism knew no bounds.
Unable to release her anger, Ge Sani was aggrieved when her husband ntioned making new clothes for this girl and her youngest son helped with work; still, she watched with cold eyes. Tears started falling as she thought life was simply unbearable, working hard for the family every day, yet it seed not to be worth as much as a girl!
Seeing his wife crying, Li Erfu didn't know what to do, and moved forward awkwardly to wipe her tears, but he said, "Jianqing is grown up, it's fine for him to help his sister with so chores. Being so biased, won't it hurt the children's feelings? They're all from your womb, it's not like you need to be perfectly fair, but don't make the kids feel neglected."
Although Li Erfu's words were spoken softly, they still sounded harsh in Ge Sani's ears. She shook off Li Erfu's arm and walked out the door.
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