Chapter 202: Are you losing your mind?

Lin Zhao glanced at the things Zhao Liuniang had brought. "For me?"

"Yes." Zhao Liuniang felt a bit embarrassed. "We don't have anything good at home, mostly just vegetables. This pumpkin is the biggest one from the field. Don't Seeing Qian Bao and Yaobao love pumpkin porridge the most? This pumpkin is sweet, give it to them to eat."

She also knew that the value of these vegetables wouldn't trade for much oil, but her family really couldn't come up with anything valuable.

It was hard to make money in the countryside; they had no coupons, no money, and lived a tight life from beginning to end of the year.

Lin Zhao praised, "The vegetables you grow, Gu Gu Ersao, are truly fresh."

Her own backyard had vegetables too, though not many varieties; usually, if she wanted to eat something else, she would trade with people in the village.

Seeing that the Third Sister-in-law didn't mind, Zhao Liuniang felt more at ease. "This is all the skill I have."

The group arrived at the Gu family's new courtyard.

Yubao and the others had already finished the pig's head meat in their bowls.

Little Yubao was very diligent; he washed the bowls and chopsticks, put them in the cupboard, and was currently looking at picture books with Hengbao and the others.

Seeing people arrive at the house, the little ones called out to them one after another.

Zhao Liuniang sighed with emotion, "Reading again. You are truly your father and mother's sons; you just love to study."

Yubao smiled politely.

Hengbao showed off quickly, "We are Dad and Mom's sons, of course we love to study just like Dad and Mom."

After finishing his sentence, he lowered his head to read.

Lin Zhao went to the kitchen, took an oil pot from the cupboard, and measured out four taels of oil for Zhao Liuniang.

Zhao Liuniang's psychological expectation was two taels; she hadn't expected the Third Sister-in-law to be so generous.

She had heard that workers in the city only received four taels of oil coupons a month!

If she used it sparingly, it could last for over a month.

"Third Sister-in-law, do you have any work that needs doing?" Zhao Liuniang took the oil canister, her face full of excitement, her eyes shining.

"I'll help you do it! Do the bedsheets need washing? Don't be polite; Eldest Sister couldn't come, but I can help. We country folk have plenty of strength; don't stand on ceremony with me, just use me to your heart's content!"

Lin Zhao's face showed joy. "There are some bedsheets that were just changed..."

"I'll do it!" Zhao Liuniang immediately took the task.

Yubao trotted into the room and dragged out a bamboo basket full of bedsheets and quilt covers.

He looked up with his little face. "Second Aunt, they are all here."

The Third Branch had many people, and every time they changed them, they had to change three sets; the guest room ones had also been changed by Lin Zhao, so the bamboo basket was full.

"Alright." Zhao Liuniang didn't feel it was too much; she just thought the patterns of the Third Branch's bedsheets were really beautiful, and they were all new, looking like they didn't have many patches, unlike her own family's, which she didn't dare wash with force, as a little effort would turn them into cloth scraps.

"These bedsheets are really good." Her expression revealed envy, but she wasn't jealous.

They were all drawn from lucky draws, so how could they not be good? Most importantly, not only were they good, but the patterns weren't exaggerated either.

Lin Zhao smiled. "They are all flawed cloth."

"Flawed items are also very good; ordinary people can't even get flawed items if they want them," Zhao Liuniang said.

Cloth coupons were harder to get than sugar coupons.

Yubao brought over soap and put it into the bamboo basket. "Second Aunt, wash with soap; my mom likes clothes and bedsheets to be fragrant."

Zhao Liuniang widened her eyes, her heart aching in spasms.

What a wasteful little thing!

Using soap to wash bedsheets!!

"What a waste of soap; washing with honey locust pods would get them just as clean."

She touched the bar of soap that had shrunk by two circles, her face full of heartache.

Lin Zhao: "It's fine, the house isn't short on soap."

Zhao Liuniang immediately stopped talking.

... Alright then.

The Third Sister-in-law worked at the supply and marketing cooperative; if anyone was short, the sales clerks wouldn't be.

She didn't waste any more breath, holding the oil canister in one hand and carrying the bamboo basket in the other, and walked out.

She first put the precious oil canister back in the room, then went to the river to wash the bedsheets.

Knowing that the Third Branch's bedsheets were very eye-catching, she didn't dare go into the crowd, found a secluded large rock, sat down, and started scrubbing away.

Oh my, this good material—it's good enough just to be able to touch it.

While doing the hard labor, her face was full of smiles, looking very happy.

When she returned after washing, just as she reached the doorway of the brick house, she smelled a fragrance so rich it was extreme.

This scent could make a person dizzy with delight.

She pushed the door open and entered the courtyard.

Several little radishes were clinging to the kitchen window, peering inside longingly, and beside them were two dogs, one big and one small. That golden snub-nosed monkey named Little Jin was sitting cross-legged on top of Yubao's head, jumping up and down from time to time, stretching out its paws to pat Yubao's head, looking very excited as well.

"... What are they doing?" Zhao Liuniang held the wooden basin and peered toward the cubs.

"My mom is deep-frying hairtail fish!" Hengbao answered in his spare time.

"Hairtail fish?" Zhao Liuniang had never heard of it, let alone eaten it; it must be something city people ate.

She didn't say anything more, went straight to the backyard, wiped the clothesline clean, hung up the bedsheets and quilt covers, and walked toward the front yard.

She called toward the kitchen: "Third Sister-in-law, the bedsheets and quilt covers are hung up; don't forget to take them in tonight. I'm leaving first."

Just as she finished speaking, she saw Lin Zhao come out of the kitchen, holding a porcelain bowl in her hand.

"Thank you for your hard work, Gu Gu Ersao. Take these few pieces of hairtail fish back with you."

Lin Zhao stuffed the bowl into the Gu Gu Ersao's hand and turned back into the kitchen.

How overbearing the fragrance of deep-fried food was, there was no need for words; Zhao Liuniang, whose stomach was lacking oil, smelled it head-on and was directly dizzied by the fragrance.

Her nose twitched fiercely, as if she wanted to suck all the fragrance into her stomach.

She swallowed her saliva, moved her gaze away with difficulty, looked at Lin Zhao, her voice full of joy.

"Thank you, Third Sister-in-law. I'll have Bangbang and Laimei pick up firewood for you, pile it up high for you, and guarantee you'll have firewood to burn all winter."

Lin Zhao didn't refuse. "Alright, my house is indeed short on firewood, and I won't have them pick it up for nothing; I'll trade things for it."

"No need!" Zhao Liuniang said. "They eat the oil you gave, and this... fried fish, what kind of status is this! To have this fortune! To be able to eat fish that city people eat, what more could I want?"

After finishing her sentence, she left behind a word that she would have Bangbang send the bowl over later, and left in a flurry.

She carried the fish out of the Gu family's door, and before she had walked a few steps, she was surrounded by the adults and children of the village.

"Yu Yu's mom, what are you holding? It smells so fragrant!"

"Yeah, what is Yubao's mom making again? We could smell it from far away. It looks like fish, is it fish?" The aunt who spoke looked at the bowl in Zhao Liuniang's hand, standing very close. "It's glistening with oil, deep-fried? Hiss, is your Third Sister-in-law not living a frugal life anymore?!"

Another person also looked heartbroken, "That's right, that's so much oil; my family could eat for nearly half a month with that!"

They wore expressions of true wastefulness.

Zhao Liuniang also felt it was wasteful, but she didn't like hearing the villagers talk about it. She turned away, not letting them look too much, and retorted directly: "My third sister-in-law has a job, the third brother has a subsidy, and her brothers back at her maiden home all have jobs and subsidize her from time to time. Why wouldn't she be able to afford to eat anything? Never mind fried fish, she could even afford delicacies from land and sea. There's no helping it, who told her to have such good fortune."

"Before the Third Brother returned to the troops, he said, let them and the children eat whatever they want, don't be frugal. If there's anything they think of but can't get, they can send him a telegram, and he'll get it... The Third Sister-in-law's Third Brother said the same. With that, you tell me, does she need to be stingy, unwilling to eat or wear things?"

When everyone heard this, there was indeed no need.

In an instant, their feelings were very complicated.

"Your Third Sister-in-law's fate is indeed good; among all the girls in the brigade, none have a fate as good as hers," said the person who had been lecturing earlier.

If it were her, she wouldn't be stingy either; with nothing lacking at home, she certainly wouldn't calculate every bite of food and drink.

Seeing these people convinced, Zhao Liuniang's eyes flashed with pride, her chest held high, and she strode away.

Just as she was walking, Yuanbao's mom chased after her.

"Yu Yu's mom, your Third Sister-in-law gave you quite a bit of oil today, right?"

Zhao Liuniang stopped, looked at her with defensive eyes, and asked back: "Who told you?"

This woman's tone was certain, so she didn't need to deny it.

"Don't look at me like that, as if I'm some hoodlum watching you all the time." Yuanbao's mom was between laughter and tears, and explained slowly, "I saw it..."

"You were holding the oil canister, and the smile at the corners of your mouth was almost reaching the back of your head. It was so obvious; if I couldn't tell, then the pair of eyes under my eyebrows wouldn't be worth having!"

Zhao Liuniang was stunned; she hadn't expected it was because her smile was too radiant.

Her expression relaxed. "You also know that the Gu family just split up, and it's near the end of the month, so the oil at home was already empty. My stomach was already lacking oil, and if I ate clear-water boiled vegetables again, I was afraid the head of the house wouldn't have the strength to work. So I had no choice but to thicken my skin and ask the Third Sister-in-law. The Third Sister-in-law is a good person; knowing our oil canister was empty, she shared a few taels with me."

"Why are you asking this? Is your family out of oil too?!"

"Isn't that so." Yuanbao's mom revealed her true intent. "Share one tael with me, I'll return it to you next month."

Zhao Liuniang was puzzled. "You're asking me? Why don't you ask my Third Sister-in-law directly?!"

Yuanbao's mom: "How could I have the nerve?"

She stood in front of Lin Zhao, unable to even speak.

"You have the nerve with me?" Zhao Liuniang rolled her eyes.

What kind of person, really knows how to pick the soft ones to bully.

She feigned annoyance and turned her head to walk forward.

Yuanbao's mom hurried to chase. "Look at what you're saying, isn't it because we have a good relationship!"

Seeing Zhao Liuniang unmoved, she continued to say nice things.

"Others don't have your ability either."

Zhao Liuniang's mouth curled up, but she said: "The one with ability is my Third Sister-in-law."

She still knew how much she was worth.

Yuanbao's mom had a different view. "You can get along with her, that's your ability! Why can't your sister-in-law even enter the door of the Third Branch? Isn't it because she's not likable and lacks ability!"

Not to mention anything else, in terms of getting along with people, Liuniang was formidable.

Zhao Liuniang was happy inside and relented. "Alright, I'll share one tael with you."

Before Yuanbao's mom could speak, she reminded her, "Return it to me next month."

"Definitely."

Zhao Liuniang said sternly: "Don't go around talking about it; I'm afraid everyone will come to me to borrow oil. I only have four taels in total."

"Definitely won't talk nonsense." Yuanbao's mom knew the score.

It was inconvenient for people in the village to go to the county, so borrowing salt and oil was normal, but if everyone came to find Liuniang, it would cause her trouble. That would be harming others without benefiting herself, so she wouldn't do it.

"I'll have Yuanbao come to the door to pick it up; no one will notice."

Zhao Liuniang didn't think their caution was exaggerated. "... Alright."

Having solved the most worrying matter, Yuanbao's mom brought up the big gossip she had just heard. "Have you heard? The family your sister-in-law is staying with is currently in an uproar."

Zhao Liuniang looked over. "The Second Branch?"

The Second Branch here referred to the Gu Er Branch where Old Mrs. Gu was staying.

"Yeah, listen to me tell you..." Yuanbao's mom began excitedly.

"Isn't your sister-in-law living in the Second Branch? She doesn't do any proper work all day, fights with the children for eggs, and goes to the county to wander around blindly every day, only returning when the sun goes down.

Your Second Aunt had been enduring it, but I don't know why, she suddenly couldn't endure it anymore and wanted to kick your sister-in-law out. Old Mrs. Gu wasn't happy, and when I came over, your Second Aunt was about to hang herself..."

Zhao Liuniang's pupils dilated. "What? It's reached this point!"

In a rush, she entered the house, put down her things, and then hurried out again, running toward the Second Branch.

Such a big piece of gossip, she couldn't miss it.

When she arrived, there were many people at the entrance, some pulling them apart, some watching the fun.

Zhao Liuniang didn't dare get too close, afraid of getting involved in the matter for no reason.

Whenever it was her sister-in-law's business, she wished she could stay far away; if it weren't to join in the fun, she wouldn't have come.

The courtyard gate of the Gu family's Second Branch was wide open.

It was lively inside.

Gu Xing'er covered her bleeding arm, hid behind Old Mrs. Gu, and kept clamoring, "Grandma, look at my Second Aunt, she took a knife to hack me! She wants my life! I'm going to report this to the Gongan!"

Just as she finished, Second Aunt Gu threw a stone at her.

"Ah!" Gu Xing'er screamed, shrinking behind Old Mrs. Gu, using her own grandmother as a shield.

Second Aunt Gu didn't dare hurt her mother-in-law, so the stone naturally went off-target.

It didn't land on Old Mrs. Gu.

She glanced coldly at Gu Xing'er, feeling that face was truly hideous.

Second Aunt Gu looked at Old Mrs. Gu and said: "Mom, open your eyes and look, this is the granddaughter you pampered as she grew up. She's using you as a shield; do you still want to protect her?"

"Gu Xing'er is just a heartless beast!"

"She can even abandon her own parents, saying she'll sever ties and then severing them. This is a poisonous snake. I firmly disagree with her settling her household registration in our family!"

Old Mrs. Gu's face turned black when she heard her spitting this out.

Shameful, the family's face was about to be lost! If this matter spread, how would Xing'er get married?

She looked at her second daughter-in-law with dissatisfaction.

Second Aunt Gu's voice wasn't small, and the people pulling them apart were dumbfounded.

"... What does severing ties mean?" someone asked with a high-pitched tone, full of surprise.

"Oh, so everyone doesn't know yet?" Second Aunt Gu was full of sarcasm. "Gu Xing'er published in the newspaper that she severed ties with the First Branch!"

Everyone was shocked.

"What?!"

"Is it true or false?"

"Never heard of it, when did this happen?"

The commune members spat out one question after another, looking at Gu Xing'er as if looking at some monster.

Gu Xing'er was angry. "What are you looking at! What's there to look at!!"

"Who told them to be biased! I just want to sever ties with them!"

"Gu Qingzhou and I are both their biological children; when splitting the family, why did Gu Qingzhou get fifty yuan more than me? They don't like me, and I hate them too!"

She snorted. "I can live better after leaving them; in the future, don't even think about getting any benefit from me."

The people present had their mouths twitching.

Is Gu Xing'er losing her mind?

Just her.

Dying of laughter!!

The old Gu family can't rely on anyone but her; with the couple from the Third Branch there, what business is it of hers?

She can't distinguish between the big and the small.

Zhao Liuniang thought the same, looking at Gu Xing'er with the eyes of someone looking at a fool, speechless to death.

The elders in the village couldn't stand it and turned into messengers of justice.

They reprimanded Gu Xing'er.

"You are too heartless; your parents raised you with such hardship and even provided for your schooling. Which girl in the village has studied to junior high? Did you study your books into a dog's stomach!"

Gu Xing'er was arrogant toward her own family, but when facing outsiders, especially those with some status, she was quite honest.

The person speaking had high seniority and many children and grandchildren, so she didn't dare to go against them, afraid of making them angry.

So she just pretended not to hear.

Old Mrs. Gu felt she had no face and turned to scold Second Aunt Gu. "What are you making such a fuss for? Doing nothing but things that can't be put on the table. Why can't things be said behind closed doors? Making the whole village know... you have face, huh."

Second Aunt Gu thought to herself, how can things be made clear behind closed doors?

"If I had a way, would I make a fuss?"

"Mom, I beg you, let's live our own lives peacefully. Don't worry about Gu Xing'er's business anymore. She has such strong opinions, let her make her own decisions about her business, don't you worry about it!!"

"Still the same words, don't even think about Gu Xing'er entering our family's household registration, I won't agree!!"

No matter what is said today, she absolutely won't let Gu Xing'er enter her family's household registration.

This is a troublemaker; who knows what kind of disaster she will cause!

Most importantly, the family is tight, where would the food come from to feed Gu Xing'er, an outsider!!

Gu Xing'er had been hacked and injured on the arm by her Second Aunt earlier, so she held a grudge against her and didn't want to move her household registration to her Second Uncle's house either.

She had an indifferent expression.

"Who cares."

Gu Xing'er was triumphant. "I'll be a city person soon, I don't care about entering your family's household registration..." ===== CHAPTER 203 =====