CHAPTER 63: 63 WHEN BEING A SON IS NOT EASY

Su Yuanyuan returned home, put the three ducks into the chicken coop, and then fed the pigs and sheep.

This was exactly the result she wanted; she just wanted everyone to avoid her.

She never thought of gaining everyone’s approval. After all, she had no capability to enlighten ignorant, uneducated people.

This way, her own days would be much easier.

She knew that the rectification of feudal superstitions would follow. But they wouldn’t have any evidence to trouble her.

Now she was living comfortably. If she happened to meet someone on the road, she would see them avoiding her from afar.

In August, the weather was stuffy and hot. The earthen house was low, but luckily it was at the foot of the mountain, so the mountain breeze made it a little cooler.

Hu Chunhua’s house was already built. She borrowed three hundred yuan from her parents, combined with two hundred at home. So the couple summoned their courage and built a brick house, a large one with six rooms.

The eldest was already thirteen. In a few years they’d need to build again, so it was better to just build it now.

This was unique in the village. Everyone envied their family.

Her two sisters-in-law were even more envious, and all day they spoke sour words and banged things around.

Old Mrs. Yang was also unhappy; this was a slap in the face. Just after separating, they built a blue-tiled big house.

She knew her eldest son didn’t have much money, and combined they wouldn’t have had more than fifty, never thought they’d borrow so much from their in-laws.

The five of them came home after finishing work at the new house, faces full of smiles, sharply contrasting with the other members of the Yang Family.

Hu Chunhua took the older girl to cook, while the three of them tidied up the vegetable plot they had.

"Dad, we’re missing quite a bit of chives."

Yang Minggang had noticed long ago. He was angry inside, but they were all his family; he couldn’t make a scene over such a matter. A big man behaving that way wouldn’t be respectable.

He knew his mom was unhappy. He’d never seen a mother like this, unhappy about her own son doing well?

The two younger brothers were even worse. Their mouths were constantly full of sour words every day.

For dinner it was sorghum rice gruel. Yang Xue had soaked the sorghum rice at noon, but didn’t dare put it in the kitchen; instead, she locked it in their room.

She came out to cut chives, planning to stir-fry pickled vegetables with some chives for flavor.

She also saw that there were fewer chives. But she didn’t say anything; they would soon leave here. Making a fuss over some chives wouldn’t be worth it.

Tomorrow I’ll cut all the chives and plant the roots in the new yard.

In the kitchen, she told her mom about the chives.

"It’s okay, we’ll bear the loss for these few days more. I’ve been enduring losses for so many years. I can hold on for these few days."

Old Mrs. Yang heard the eldest daughter-in-law’s words and was so angry she wanted to get up and scold, but lay down again.

If things really became too tense, in the future they surely wouldn’t allow her to live in the new house. She had never lived in a blue-tiled big house.

The family was eating in the yard. There was sorghum rice gruel and leftover three-flour steamed buns from lunch.

The Yang family’s two brothers had already eaten. The children from the other two families came over to see, and seeing it was the same as their own meals, they didn’t beg for more.

That night the couple chatted, "Yang Minggang, I’m telling you, I absolutely won’t allow your mom to live in the new house.

Those chives were definitely cut by her. I don’t care about such trivial matters, but can’t you see, ever since we started building the house, your mom’s face has been so long.

And don’t think I don’t know how much money is at home? Give me twenty, I can take it, but don’t expect me to treat her well."

Yang Minggang sighed, what could he say? That was his mother.

"If she says she wants to move there, would you say no?"

"Yes, I’d say that. If she doesn’t mind being embarrassed, she can do as she likes. After all these years, I have it clear in my heart."

"But that’s my mom."

"Yes, I didn’t say she wasn’t. When she needs old-age care, I won’t ignore her, but she shouldn’t expect any good from me."

Yang Minggang sighed again. On one side was his mom, on the other, his wife who had endured hardships with him for over ten years.

"Yang Minggang, I’m telling you, I won’t ignore your mom, but beyond a certain point, don’t expect more."

Su Yuanyuan also went to Hu Chunhua’s house, thinking about what good thing she could give. Finally, she remembered she still had plates and bowls and decided to give those.

Every day she picked greens to store in the space. She brought back more than ten willow baskets from the big market, placing a variety of vegetables in each. Now she had collected two baskets of tender eggplants, two of beans, and four of chives, each bundle almost a jin. Although she didn’t sort them, they were quite clean.

Cucumbers were also collected into the space; she wouldn’t sell these, planning to pickle them into spicy pickled cucumbers.

There weren’t many tomatoes, so she kept them for herself to eat slowly.

Garlic didn’t need to be put into the space; she just braided it and hung it in the west room. There was a daily harvest and a very delightful one.

Potatoes weren’t many either, so she kept them for personal use and planned to plant more next year. These were staples that could fill the stomach in the long run.

Because she had planted a lot of winter melons, pumpkins, and wax gourds, she harvested quite a few tender ones, intending to sell them in winter.

Corn had now grown ears, appearing bigger than those of the two neighboring households.

Hu Chunhua specially came to ask her about the corn issue.

"Aunt, I just bought seeds from the county seed station. Look at our soybeans, too. I checked others’ fields, but none of them have pods as many as ours."

"Next year, I’ll also spend the money to buy seeds from the seed station; your ears look much bigger than others’.

"Aunt, spending money surely has its reasons."

"Yes, I believe it now."

"Aunt, when are you moving?"

"Moving in three days. These days we’re burning fires to dry the place, otherwise, it’s too damp.

Girl, your uncle is weaving fishing nets. In winter, you need to take us fishing; otherwise, we won’t be able to repay this famine."

Hu Chunhua said this, feeling her face burning. But there was no choice. Depending solely on farming, the famine couldn’t be cleared within five years.

"Sure, let my uncle weave a few more scoops; once they’re done, we won’t need the nets for winter fishing."

"Your uncle knows, he’s already woven five or six, in different sizes. After the autumn harvest, we’ll set them up."

"Aunt, the chickens at our house should be laying eggs by now, right?"

"Yes, the new hens should be laying eggs."

Su Yuanyuan felt like she had a sharp mouth; she’d just mentioned yesterday that the chickens should be laying eggs. To her delight, while feeding the chickens this morning, she collected five eggs.

She had previously shown Hu Chunhua that they had thirteen hens.

Su Yuanyuan delightedly thought, if she managed well, she could collect thirteen eggs a day.

And duck eggs, just imagining those oil-slicked salted duck eggs made her mouth water.

The ducks should lay eggs around the same time as the chickens; they might start in a few days.