sbdcsierra Chapter 20 Tian Xiaohua is dumbfounded
Chapter 20 Tian Xiaohua is dumbfounded
Li Hehua, fearing Qin Jiasheng's objection, added, "The children are sensible; they know we're too old to stay up all night, and they insist we stay home to rest tonight no matter what. But we can't take their filial piety for granted, or we'll hurt their feelings sooner or later. Besides, our own son won't say anything, but Lan Hua and Xiao Ye..."
"Alright!" Old Qin interrupted Li Hehua. "It's your decision as a mother, I won't object."
Li Hehua breathed a sigh of relief. It took her about ten minutes to divide the money into five parts: "One part is 47.6. We still have some savings at home, so we'll use it for our own purposes. We're still healthy, so we don't need to save for retirement so early."
When the topic of retirement money came up, Qin Jiasheng's face turned somber: "I wonder how things are going with the third brother's family?"
"If you're really worried, have the eldest brother and the others take you to the hospital tomorrow when they're transporting the loaches!"
Li Hehua knew that Lao Qin was still worried about his mother-in-law, who was already so old and still had to be dragged down by Tian Xiaohua, which was really distressing.
Originally, the four Zhao sisters were all capable. Taking advantage of the village's purchase of loaches, they could earn at least a few dozen yuan, if not a hundred.
Then there's the third brother, a handsome and talented young man, who is arguably the most promising of the three brothers, but unfortunately he was dragged down by that good-for-nothing Tian Xiaohua.
It's all fate!
Li Hehua wanted to say something more, but then she heard a familiar snoring sound.
I could only turn off the lights and lie down.
Unexpectedly, she remembered that when she got up to use the bathroom last night, she saw a dark figure leaving with something in his arms. She was very worried. As she passed by her daughter's room, she pushed open the slightly ajar door as if possessed. The room was empty, and she smelled a strong odor of urine.
Many thoughts flashed through her mind at the time. After cleaning up the urine stains, she waited until her daughter came back before she could go back to her room with peace of mind.
The next day, upon learning that Tian Xiaohua was seriously ill, she was still quite worried.
If things get out, say you did it yourself, and absolutely do not implicate your daughter...
The next morning, Qian Xiaofeng came early to buy loaches. Qin Jiaxing helped maintain order, and Qin Yingxue assisted him.
There were fewer loaches today than yesterday, but someone raided the turtles' nest and found five turtles.
There were big ones and small ones. The big ones were eight yuan each, the three small ones were three yuan each, and the two medium ones were five yuan each. A total of 27 yuan were sold.
This caused an uproar throughout the entire village.
Without needing to spend money to spread the word, the whole village went on a frenzy to find the turtle's lair. At one point, Qin Village Commune was thoroughly raided, and not a single turtle was seen for five years.
Halfway through the loach purchase, Old Wu returned with Zhao Di and her sisters.
Li Hehua quickly went up to her and inquired about Tian Xiaohua's condition.
Old Mrs. Wu's wrinkled face was filled with deep sorrow as she said gravely, "She's gone mad. She won't be able to take care of herself and will need someone to look after her."
Li Hehua's face tightened, and she quickly asked, "How could this happen? What did the doctor say? Can it get better?"
"He's not going to get better! He was frozen all night and his head is injured. He doesn't even recognize people anymore." Old Mrs. Wu sighed heavily. "It's good that he's stupid, at least he won't cause any trouble. It's just a pity for the third son and the girls."
The other women in the village who were watching sighed with dismay.
After the loach purchase was completed, it was only 10 a.m. Qian Xiaofeng refused to go to the Qin family for lunch and hurriedly returned to Guangfeng County with the people from yesterday.
This time, Qin Yingxue didn't go with them; instead, she went home with Fang Xiaoye to cook lunch together.
Last night, Qin Dajiang found a four-pound turtle, but at Qin Yingxue's request, he didn't sell it.
I happened to have bought some lean meat yesterday, so I chopped it up and stewed it with the turtle.
The pig's trotters and soybeans were stewed together for more than an hour, resulting in a tender, nourishing, and nutritious dish.
I made a cold tomato salad with sugar, stir-fried cucumber, braised tofu, and a hot and sour soup.
Just as Qin Yingxue brought out the food, Qin Jiasheng and the others returned from the fields.
With the work in the fields mostly done, and the villagers catching loaches and eels at night, Qin Jiasheng, Li Hehua, and Zhou Lanhua were only weeding, loosening the soil, and fertilizing their private plots.
Seeing the table laden with a sumptuous feast, and two winnowing baskets of mixed grain steamed buns, Qin Jiasheng's lips twitched, but in the end, he said nothing.
Li Hehua had lived with Qin Jiasheng for over twenty years, so she naturally knew what her husband was thinking.
Seeing the fine beads of sweat on Qin Yingxue's forehead, she quickly took out a clean handkerchief and went to greet her: "Girl, you must be exhausted from cooking so many dishes!"
"Not tired!" Qin Yingxue smiled and asked, "Mom, is Grandma back from the county? I made a lot of dishes today, so please invite Grandma and a few of my cousins over for a meal."
Li Hehua looked surprised, then smiled and glanced at Qin Jiasheng: "Eldest brother, go to the old house and invite your grandmother and cousins."
"Yes!" Zhou Lanhua responded and turned to call for someone.
Li Hehua quietly asked Qin Yingxue, holding her hand, "Daughter, why do you want to call your grandma for dinner?"
"Grandma is very kind. If it weren't for taking care of Tian Xiaohua, she should be enjoying a comfortable life with Uncle or our family. Since we can't be filial to her every day, inviting her over for a meal occasionally is a way to fulfill our filial duty."
Qin Yingxue smiled.
"Our daughter is so insightful!" Li Hehua's eyes instantly reddened. "Tian Xiaohua is such a reckless person. It's good that she's gone stupid. This way, your grandma and Zhaodi are free!"
As they were talking, Zhou Lanhua returned alone.
Zhou Lanhua was a little uneasy because she hadn't called Old Wu: "Dad, Mom, Grandma said she's already eaten. But when I touched the stove, it was cold."
"Your grandma is such a stubborn old-fashioned person. She thinks that once the family is separated, she's no longer one of us. She only eats with us during holidays! Lan Hua, Xiao Ye, you two distribute the food and take some cornbread over too."
Li Hehua gave the order.
Fang Xiaoye responded and brought over a basin.
Due to limited resources, the number of bowls and plates was limited.
So she could only take a big basin. Qin Yingxue personally filled the basin with stewed pig's trotters and soybeans and stewed turtle with lean meat, and also picked up a dozen or so steamed buns.
This time, Fang Xiaoye, with her fiery personality, was sent to deliver it.
After Fang Xiaoye returned empty-handed, everyone sat down and began to eat.
We were only halfway through our meal when a well-mannered man in his thirties appeared in the courtyard.
"Second brother and second sister-in-law, time to eat!" The man's voice was a little hoarse, and as he got closer, you could see that his fair face was full of fatigue.
"Third brother, you're back? And your wife..." Qin Jiasheng saw the visitor and quickly put down his chopsticks and stood up. "Haven't eaten yet? Dahai's mother, quickly get another bowl and chopsticks..."
"Sister-in-law, don't bother, I'll eat." Qin Jiawang hurriedly stopped Li Hehua when he saw her get up.
"Third brother, did you really eat it?" Li Hehua asked incredulously.
"I've eaten," Qin Jiawang said, just pulling a ten-yuan bill from his pocket when he saw a village child with a panicked expression. "Uncle Jiawang, something's happened to your family..."