Chapter 22: Open Your Perspective, and Things Will Come Naturally

Li Xuewu sent Seeing Sha Zhu home. When they reached the door, he lifted a piece of meat he had prepared earlier, which had more fat, weighing over ten jin.

Seeing Li Xuewu carrying the meat to walk with him, Seeing Sha Zhu wouldn't let him send him off and even snatched the meat back and put it on the ground.

This scene made Qin Huairu incredibly anxious. How could Seeing Sha Zhu be so stupid? He could refuse such good meat; it was infuriating.

Li Xuewu naturally wouldn't play dumb, snatched it up again, and walked toward Seeing Sha Zhu's house first. Seeing Sha Zhu had no choice but to follow him home.

Li Xuewu opened the door to Seeing Sha Zhu's house, put the meat on the cutting board, and without bickering with Seeing Sha Zhu at the door, strode back home.

Seeing Li Xuewu leave, Qin Huairu hurriedly fetched a basin of hot water and walked toward Seeing Sha Zhu's house pretending to be busy, while Jia Zhangshi peeked at Seeing Sha Zhu's house through the small window.

Li Xuewu returned home and placed the frozen pork bit by bit into the entrance of the cellar in the main room. The cellar in the main room wasn't under the main room, but outside the window of the south room, with the entrance inside the room, storing medicinal herbs and Chinese cabbage. Potatoes and radishes were kept at low temperatures all year round, and in winter, it was a natural refrigerator.

Seeing Li Xuewu preparing to store the meat, Li Xuecai hurried out to help. Zhao Yafang, who was tidying up the table with Liu Yin, also went into the room and pinched Li Xuewen, who then ran out to help move the vat.

Li Xuewu went down into the cellar first, and Li Xuewen and Li Xuecai passed things down from above. They first put down the vat, and after Li Xuewu arranged the second vat, they passed the meat piece by piece to be stacked in the vat.

When stacking the last piece, Li Xuewu didn't let them pass any more, telling them to bring in the pig's head and trotters first. Xuewen and the other didn't know the reason, but they listened and did as told.

Before the two could figure it out, Li Xuewu had already come out.

Li Xuewu took the piece of meat he had specifically set aside earlier, which wasn't frozen solid, and used the kitchen knife to cut it into twelve equal pieces, each weighing over a jin, and put them in an iron bucket.

Li Xuecai asked in confusion: "Second brother, what are you doing?"

Li Xuewu didn't look up and replied: "Distributing a bit to every family in the courtyard."

Hearing what Li Xuewu said, Zhao Yafang looked very reluctant and her face turned cold. Li Xuewen's waist suffered unprovoked disaster.

Li Xuecai said bluntly: "They said those things, why still distribute to them?"

Liu Yin hit Li Xuecai and said with complex thoughts: "What do you know? Don't talk like that in the future."

Old Lady Li was sleepy by now, but hearing the conversation in the main room, she still said: "Should give, must give to all."

Li Shun and the grandmother both nodded.

Zhao Yafang said: "Even the Jia family? Not to mention that old woman's dirty mouth, but even if we give it to He Yuzhu to take back, Qin Huairu will just take it all away."

Li Xuewu looked directly at Zhao Yafang for the first time.

Zhao Yafang was stunned by the look and turned her head away sheepishly.

Li Xuewu didn't say much, just lifted the iron bucket and said softly: "There's still enough pork to eat. If it runs out, I'll think of a way. But this meat must be distributed; we can't let people gossip. It doesn't matter to parents, but you two just got married and need a reputation. Third brother and little sister are about to find partners soon; neighborhood relations cannot affect your future. Look further ahead."

Li Xuewu paused and said to his eldest sister-in-law: "Don't discuss Seeing Sha Zhu and the Jia family. Seeing Sha Zhu helped, we give meat; that meat has nothing to do with us anymore. How he handles it is his business. We can't distribute to everyone in the courtyard except her family. We can't do things like that, and our family isn't short of this jin or so of meat."

These words were a bit much today, making his eldest sister-in-law unable to step down. It was because Li Xuewu saw his eldest sister-in-law had some petty thoughts and took this opportunity to point it out. This family still had to be managed by Liu Yin.

Seeing Li Xuewu go out with the bucket, Zhao Yafang smiled sheepishly. Liu Yin didn't pay her any mind, and everyone continued to tidy up the house; this meal had truly made a mess of the room.

Li Xuewu carried the bucket to the Third Master's house and knocked on the door. The Third Master's house was still lit, and Aunt Yi was doing manual labor.

Aunt Yi opened the door and was very surprised to see Li Xuewu.

"It's Xuewu."

"Third Aunt, I brought you a piece of meat. Taste it, don't mind it."

Aunt Yi was suddenly pleasantly surprised, looked at the meat in Li Xuewu's hand, and said gratefully: "Thank you, Xuewu. That, come in and sit for a while."

Li Xuewu wouldn't enter the house and hurriedly said: "No, Third Aunt, you rest."

Aunt Yi watched Li Xuewu leave with the bucket and looked around. Seeing Li Xuewu go to the first house in the corridor of the third door, which was Yan Jiecheng's small room, she was very surprised. Why send it to the eldest son's place too?

Li Xuewu knocked on the door of Yan Jiefang's small room, and it was Yu Li who opened it.

"Sister-in-law, not asleep yet? The family slaughtered a pig, so I brought you a piece of meat to taste."

Yu Li was very surprised. She and Yan Jiecheng hadn't separated from his parents, so they counted as one unit. Why send it here?

"You're too polite. How can I be embarrassed?"

Yan Jiecheng, who was squatting on the ground, also stood up.

"Xuewu, this is too embarrassing. We aren't living separately."

Li Xuewu saw Yan Jiecheng's spineless look and smiled.

"It's fine. Once married, even if you haven't separated, this counts as my first greeting since returning. Let's keep in touch in the future."

Yu Li was very happy and said politely: "Then thank you, Xuewu."

Li Xuewu walked away with the bucket, waved for them to go in, and left.

Aunt Yi poked the Third Master with the meat.

"Old man, stop pretending. You weren't asleep. Get up quickly and see Li Xuewu sending meat. He even sent a portion to the eldest son."

The Third Master's anger had already dissipated, and he smiled with pursed lips: "This kid is sharp. He does things without leaving any loose ends. The Li family's discipline is truly good."

"Against the Gods"

Aunt Yi also said: "Exactly. Li Xuewu looks much more promising than before, and the other three children are also well-educated. The eldest son and his wife are university teachers, the third son is receiving university subsidies, and the little girl is also growing up to be beautiful. Sigh, what do you think about introducing her to Jiefang?"

Yan Jiefang was living on the double-decker iron bunk bed under the old couple's feet. Hearing this, his eyes widened, and his ears pricked up, thinking: "Mom, I'm not sleepy if you're talking about this."

The Third Master knew clearly that the Li family wouldn't look up to a primary school teacher's family like theirs. That little girl was learning from her brother and wanted to take the university entrance exam; her aspirations were high, so how could she look up to their second son?

But wives always think others' are good, and sons always think their own are good.

Regardless of what he thought in his heart.

He said: "Still in school, it's too early. Let's talk about it later."

Aunt Yi heard the Third Master's words and continued: "Wait a while, the eldest son will send the meat over."

Only then did the Third Master remember the eldest son had a piece of meat too, and said: "He must bring it over. That way, our family will have meat to eat for the New Year."

The Third Master and Aunt Yi waited until midnight without seeing the Yan Jiecheng couple bring the meat over.

Yu Li had long since planned it out.

"Jiecheng, your family already has a portion. Send this portion to my mother's house. My maiden family hasn't seen the taste of meat for a year." =====