Chapter 14:
What a pity, too little, everyone still wanted more…
Yunliang almost licked that bowl clean…
Li Gui complained there were too few noodles…
Before bed that night, she coaxed Miaomiao to sleep…
Li Sanmao brought her the prepared foot washing water and soaked her feet…
She had climbed the mountain all day today and also cooked and refined termite mushroom oil; her face was even more swollen and round, her eyes narrowed into tiny slits…
Her hands were swollen like pig trotters; after such a serious illness, her fat body was really suffering!
Luo Zhi’er lowered her gaze, looking at the man kneading her feet, wrapping her chubby little feet in his palms…
Her roughly three hundred jin fatty, ordinary people couldn’t handle it…
She wondered curiously why this man was so good, yet Luo Zhi’er didn’t like him?
“You… why are you so good to me?”
The man’s hands paused: “Miaomiao’s mother, you’re my wife; since you married me, of course I have to be good to you.”
Oh, alright, so feelings are responsibility?
After thinking in her mind, she told Li Sanmao that she wanted to go to town herself tomorrow to sell termite mushroom oil.
What she was pondering in her heart was finding a way to deal with that bird’s nest and herbs!
“Wife, do you want to go to town for a stroll?”
“Mm.”
“Alright then!”
Li Sanmao nodded, went out to dump the foot washing water, and ran to mention it to Old Man Li.
He agreed too, deciding that she and Third Brother would go together!
The next day, before dawn, Luo Zhi’er was woken by the rooster crowing in the chicken coop outside the door…
She dazedly opened her eyes; outside it was dimly bright.
Glancing at the sexy and handsome sleeping face with stubble beside her, she still wasn’t quite used to it…
She couldn’t believe that these past few days felt like a dream; she had really transmigrated…
She even felt like her dream hadn’t ended yet!
She pinched her thigh hard, the pain making her fat face scrunch up!
Alright, she gently moved the big hand draped over her belly and prepared to get up to tidy herself and focus on making silver.
Li Sanmao suddenly pulled her back into his arms with force, hugging her even tighter; his sturdy back could feel his chest like fire…
Luo Zhi’er was speechless; wasn’t he afraid of collapsing the bed or flattening himself…
“Husband, we’re going to town today…”
“Mm, I’m just hugging for a bit, getting up right away!”
With anticipation in her heart, she was finally going to town; the two got dressed, but just before leaving, people changed their minds…
Zhou Shi waved her hand; the ones going changed from the two of them to Old Man Li and Zhou Shi, plus Second Brother Li Lei going to town to sell…
The more she thought, the angrier she got!
To go to town, she had gotten up before dawn to prepare, then rolled into the room and closed the door, sulking unhappily.
“Look at her like that, ass swaying back and forth, showing attitude to whom? Has the world turned upside down!”
“Serves you right, you fat hoof, getting stung by horse wasps; remember to feed the pigs and give them water!!!”
Zhou Shi grumbled as she picked up the jar of termite mushroom oil and followed Old Man Li and Second Brother to the village entrance to catch Zhao Maogen’s ox cart…
If they went late, the cart would be full and not take them, which would be trouble…
“Wife…”
Li Sanmao called out, opened the door, and saw his fat wife with her back to him folding clothes.
“Zhi’er…”
Luo Zhi’er coldly snorted, not wanting to pay him any attention!
Miaomiao also said: “Daddy, Mommy is angry, what to do? Grandparents don’t keep their word; Mommy is angry and Miaomiao is unhappy too!”
Li Sanmao touched Miaomiao and said: “Miaomiao, Mommy won’t be angry in a bit; you go out first, Daddy has words with Mommy.”
“Then you have to coax Mommy well!”
Miaomiao was small but shrewd; she saw Mommy ignoring people and was afraid she’d revert to her old self…
Miaomiao went out and closed the door; Li Sanmao looked at the person at the bedside sulking and thought she was a bit cute!
He also felt his mother wasn’t fair today and could only persuade her…
“Wife, don’t be angry anymore! Next time I’ll find a chance to take you, alright?”
Luo Zhi’er turned around, eyes red, aggrievedly pursing her lips!
Li Sanmao immediately panicked a bit: “Wife, why are you crying!”
He hurriedly went forward and clumsily wiped her with his sleeve…
Thinking about it, it made sense!
His wife hadn’t gone out much since marrying him, let alone to town.
Day after day doing housework at home and getting scolded! Calculating her age, she wasn’t that old, just eighteen or nineteen; she should be looking forward to it…
When her father-in-law was around before, he doted on her a lot; she could go wherever she wanted and eat whatever she wanted, very free, but with him…
He also wanted to dote on her!
Now… no need to mention it!
He knew it was normal for a girl this age to want to see the outside world and experience things…
But his mother had already decided and it wasn’t good to change her mind.
Zhou Shi had thought about it last night, afraid that if she sent her, she’d covet the silver; she wanted to get the silver first thing!
Second Brother often dealt in town and should be able to find buyers.
Old Man Li felt she had no experience selling in town, and as a woman, it wasn’t good to show her face…
Luo Zhi’er was depressed that her identity was that of a married woman, without freedom.
After thinking for a while, she accepted reality!
Mainly, the last-minute change of mind was hard for her to accept at once!
They were the ones in charge; besides accepting, what could she do?
Unless she could divide the family and be her own master.
She probed,
“Husband, our family has so many people always eating and drinking together, constant conflicts; why not divide?”
“If we divide, you hunt, I do a small business, Miaomiao would live better too!”
“Wife, I know you’re aggrieved.”
She never mentioned it before; must have been pushed too hard! Even he couldn’t stand it sometimes.
“Parents are here, no dividing family; that’s Old Li Family tradition. Fourth Brother isn’t married yet, Fifth Brother is still studying; dividing would be the death of my parents!”
Luo Zhi’er lowered her gaze; so serious?
“Wife, next time just the two of us, how about it?”
“Really or fake?”
“Really, I’ll go to the mountain in a bit to see if there’s any wild game, then tell Dad…”
“Hmph! Then you better keep your word!”
“Definitely!”
“It’d be good if we could bring Miaomiao.”
“Good!”
She was actually a bit deliberately throwing a tantrum at Li Sanmao to state her position and tell him she was unhappy about not going to town!
Luckily, this Li Sanmao was genuinely good to Luo Zhi’er from the heart.
Willing to take her next time meant she still had a chance to carry out her plan!
“Then hurry up!”
“Mm.”
She stopped thinking about it and went out to see the yard messy and dirty, took the broom and swept…
Little Zhou Shi saw mother-in-law and father-in-law leave, ran to their bedroom door and pushed; it was locked.
She wanted to dig some honey to mix with water and drink; last night Li Daqiang brought the filtered honeycomb to relieve her cravings.
She ate a bit; too sweet.
Li Daqiang told her there was about twenty jin!
Pity, mother-in-law kept it in her room.
She got up early in the morning and, waiting for Zhou Shi to leave, couldn’t wait to check, but the door was locked again!
Twenty jin of honey could sell for quite a bit of silver, at least five or six hundred wen…
Hmph! Wonder what mother-in-law was guarding against?
She ran to the window outside, peered in; even the wooden basin was gone from the ground…
Who could Zhou Shi guard against? Of course, her and their whole family!
She got up before dawn this morning, bottled the filtered honey juice, sealed the lid, put it in the wooden chest in her own bedroom, and locked it…
Then scooped out today’s family ration from the jar, one scoop of corn grits, locked the main door. Nothing else.
Making Little Zhou Shi and Chen Shi’s little schemes fall through!
Li Zhenzhu wasn’t that greedy; yesterday she mixed it with water and ate; if she wanted more, wait for Mom to come back…
Besides, she had the key to Mom’s room; others didn’t.
Since that was the case, goal achieved; Luo Zhi’er didn’t like idling!
She took out the pig lungs, pig large intestines, pig small intestines, and other offal she had marinated yesterday…
It was summer; if not dealt with quickly, they’d spoil, get maggots, and stink!
Out the door, she saw the acorns hunted yesterday still piled in the corner; other things were gone!
She ran back, squatted to pick clean the debris inside the acorns, put them in the bamboo sieve, and spread them to dry on the nearby grinding stone…
Went to the yard to pull some radishes, washed the pig lungs; in the morning, make pig lung soup to drink…
In the other pot in the kitchen, she planned to braise pig large intestines and pig small intestines…
Found all the seasonings she could, put everything in the pot to braise.
But those few at home saw her take the pig offal to the kitchen, puzzled?
Was she planning to eat this stuff for breakfast?
No way, absolutely impossible!
Little Zhou Shi, returning disappointed, desperately stopped her, shrilly yelling for her to take the stuff out quick, not allowed to cook in the kitchen; this stuff stank to high heaven!
If cooked, none of them could eat breakfast today.
Li Gui was contemplating under the window; hearing the commotion, he got annoyed, stomach growling, ran to the kitchen and saw Third Sister-in-law holding pig offal ready to throw in the pot, nearly vomited…
Li Sanmao planned to wait for his wife to finish breakfast, eat something, then go to the mountains to check the traps for any wild game…
Saw his fat wife coming out of the main hall, holding a big string of pig offal, looking unhappy.
He hurriedly moved out the old pot they hadn’t used before from the corner…
Washed it clean, put it on the stove in the yard side for cooking pig feed…
Took down the original pot for pig feed first.
“Wife, how about this?”
Luo Zhi’er frowned but had to accept it…
“Alright then!”
“Mm, you cook here; I’ll go chop some firewood and bring it over…”
Finished speaking, went to the backyard, first brought her some kindling dry pine needles, then went to the firewood pile to chop wood.
Zhou Shi saw her doing those stinky things and figured she wouldn’t make breakfast for them, shrilly cursing indirectly from the backyard.
“Up early in the morning deliberately to annoy people, sneaky and lazy; not making breakfast waiting for me to do it for you?”
Li Sanmao said:
“Eldest Sister-in-law, the pig offal will stink if left longer; Miaomiao’s mother is being kind, wanting to improve everyone’s food and process it early!”
“If you’re not helping, fine, but still cursing? Breakfast? It’s not like she has the only hands in this house…”
Luo Zhi’er wasn’t one to be trifled with; she rushed in from outside and happened to hear Li Sanmao defending her, warming her heart, and said,
“Eldest Sister-in-law, you’re wrong to say that; pig offal is edible, and done well, maybe even exchange silver for Dad; can you?”
“Pah! Who eats your shit-holding stuff; if you want to eat it, eat it; if word gets out Old Li Family is so poor they can’t uncover the pot and eat pig offal, people will laugh their teeth out!”
“Hmph! Then remember what you said; don’t eat it!”
“Tch. Skipped work all day yesterday, come back with rotten ideas, who knows the situation?”
Luo Zhi’er smiled coldly,
“Is that so? If you have the skill, give Dad an idea!”
“Hmph! Dead fatty, what are you so proud of??”
“Eldest Sister-in-law, mind your words; I’m not one to be trifled with, and I don’t like others bullying my wife!”
The man cleanly and neatly swung the axe, splitting a large log in two!
He coldly glanced at her; years of hunting gave off a chill from head to toe…
“You, lazy… too lazy to deal with you!”
Zhou Shi turned and went to the kitchen to make breakfast for her kids.
This was the helplessness of being a mother; adults could wait, but her sons couldn’t go hungry…
She grumbled at Li Daqiang, turtle-like, letting his brothers bully her without protecting her…
What good was that fat woman Luo Zhi’er; Li Sanmao treated her like heart and soul!
