“Yes, take it. If you don’t eat it, the children at home will have to eat it too.” Jiang Xi was even more generous and handed some to everyone. She also gave some to Jiang Ermei and Jiang Sanmei. There were a total of six women who came to the Jiang family. After distributing, a large bag of biscuits was empty. She said, “My mother can’t bear to eat them anyway. They will go bad if I keep them.”

Jiang Ermei and Jiang Sanmei, holding the cookies, said: “…”

Isn’t this the gift that my eldest sister gave to my mother?

How come it’s gone?

Zhang Xiuyun also had two pieces. She stared blankly at the biscuits in her hand, then looked at the people in the room who were all happily eating the biscuits, and the empty packaging bag in her daughter’s hand. She screamed in shock and said in annoyance, “How could it go bad? Your cousins haven’t eaten it yet!”

What a waste!

She thought that giving one or two pieces was the maximum, but she gave them all away.

A bag of cookies like this costs quite a bit of money.

Such good things were given to them, but her younger brother didn’t get any. She was reluctant to eat them and wanted to save them for her younger brother.

Jiang Xi was surprised and said, “Before, my second aunt brought back gifts, but they were all eaten by my cousins. My second and third sisters didn’t get a single bite. Why should we leave the gifts for them?”

The aunt and the others, who had been smiling just moments ago, now restrained their expressions. As the sisters-in-law close to her, the aunt said in a serious tone: “Sister-in-law, elder sister and the others are your real daughters!”

Zhang Xiuyun blushed with embarrassment and lowered her head without saying a word.

A biological daughter isn’t even considered a daughter in some ways compared to a nephew?

Her brother said her nephew would take care of her in old age, and besides, isn’t it normal for boys to eat better? It’s enough for girls to be able to support themselves; there’s no need for them to eat so well.

Oh, and she had to put away the rest of the stuff in the package.

Zhang Xiuyun was about to move when Jiang Xi quickly ran over and took out the remaining food. Zhang Xiuyun couldn’t grab any and could only watch helplessly.

The girl, who had been so obedient before, now smiled brightly and generously handed out the remaining items to the visitors: “Auntie, there are some candies here. The girls will definitely like them. You can take them back and give them some. There are also…”

In the blink of an eye, the big bag of sugar and the long strips of rice bubbles were distributed. 

Except for half a pound of meat and flour, which were hard to divide, everything else was gone.

Zhang Xiuyun was stunned.

Several women who came to visit Jiang Xi didn’t expect to leave with such a full load. They felt a bit embarrassed and didn’t dare to ask for more, continually refusing.

But Jiang Xi insisted on giving it to them and said generously: “It’s okay, my mother doesn’t like to eat these, and it would be a waste to keep them. You can have more. If anything happens to her in the future, take care of her. It’s better than relying on my uncle; that’s not realistic.”

“That’s true. Ah, your mother is a little confused.” Everyone nodded and accepted the gifts.

Feeling embarrassed, they promised to take good care of Zhang Xiuyun and help her if she needed anything. They felt they needed to repay the kindness of these good gifts.

Carrying so many items, the women couldn’t sit still, holding them in front of their stomachs or tucking them into their clothes, and walked back quickly.

At this point, Zhang Xiuyun didn’t want to watch anymore, so she went to the kitchen with the meat, trying to hide it.

She didn’t want her elder sister to complain more, or else there would be nothing left when her younger brother came over for dinner in the evening.

Jiang Sanmei finished her biscuits, patted the crumbs off her hands, jumped off the chair, looked at her mother’s anxious back, and smiled secretly. She pulled her eldest sister’s sleeve and whispered, “Sister, are you deliberately trying to annoy Mother?”

Mother didn’t let them eat those good things, so her eldest sister gave everything away.

Although Mother was very angry, she seemed very happy, as if all the frustration she had been feeling was released.

Jiang Xi smiled and shook her head. Then, seeing the puzzled look on the little girl’s face, she said, “I just don’t want the things I bought to benefit my uncle’s family. If I give them to them, I get a good word from them. If I give them to my mother, not only will she not eat them, but she will also have to give them to my uncle. It’s a big loss. If she gets angry, that’s her problem. I only do what I want to do.”

There was another reason she didn’t mention. She was not destined to be a filial daughter. Although she didn’t care about her reputation, making everyone more supportive of her might be helpful in the future. If there were any issues on this side, they could help out more. It was also a good thing and worthwhile.

She always followed the principle that even if her things were lost, she would never give them to people she disliked!

Jiang Sanmei suddenly understood and nodded: “Yes, I get it. If Mother doesn’t want it, then we will eat it and not give it to Uncle!”

Jiang Xi pinched her cheeks: “Smart!”

Jiang Sanmei chuckled and was about to be proud when a voice came from the side: “What about the half pound of meat?”

The two looked over and saw that Jiang Ermei had come up behind them. Her lips were tightly pursed, and she seemed somewhat reluctant. Being looked at by her two sisters, she blushed, lowered her head, and whispered, “I don’t want to give it to my uncles either.”

In the past, her mother always said that her cousins were boys and would inherit the family business and support the family, while girls would get married and rely on their cousins for support in the future.

So they had to give in to the boys, and she thought everyone did so because it was the norm in the village, and boys ate better.

But when she arrived at Pei’s house, she ate so well, but the Pei family’s uncles and aunts didn’t say anything, even though they had several grandchildren!

As for support… Jiang Ermei thought about how she and her sister were locked in the room at the wedding, listening to the noise of her uncle bullying her sister, and found it a bit funny. If she really relied on them for support, she would have to wait until she died, right?

So, this concept had been overturned in her mind. In this case, why should she give in?

If Mother could eat it, she wouldn’t be reluctant to give it up.

But since it was her uncle’s family who would be eating it, they couldn’t let go of the half pound of meat.

Jiang Xi smiled and said, “Didn’t we bring flour? Let’s go make dumplings. Third sister, go get Mom out to play, and Second sister and I will make the dumplings.”

The two children’s eyes lit up. Jiang Sanmei ran over and shouted without saying a word, “Mom! I want to go play with Xiaohua.”

Zhang Xiuyun hid the meat and wondered, “Just go.”

“Come with me~” Jiang Sanmei hugged her arm and acted coquettishly.

This was a trick she had developed to snatch food from others. Her clinging skills were excellent. Zhang Xiuyun had no choice but to agree: “Big sister, second sister, are you going?”

Jiang Xi smiled embarrassedly: “I’m not going.”

Jiang Ermei quickly shook her head and said, “I won’t go either.”

Zhang Xiuyun did not insist. She was not a strong-willed mother, so she just took her little daughter away.

The two stood in the yard and watched Zhang Xiuyun and Jiang Sanmei disappear from view. They then headed to the kitchen, only to find that the cupboard was locked, as expected.

Jiang Ermei frowned and asked, “How do we open this?”

Jiang Xi calmly stepped outside, grabbed a stone, and smashed it against the lock. The old lock broke open after just a few hits. She retrieved the meat but hesitated for a moment before asking, “Can you make dumplings?”

Jiang Ermei shook her head.

Jiang Xi thought for a moment and said, “Go get some vegetables from your own plot first, and I’ll go find someone.”

“Okay,” Jiang Ermei agreed.

The two sisters went their separate ways. Jiang Xi went to find her aunt, who lived nearby. Once Jiang Xi explained her situation, her aunt immediately agreed to help. Making dumplings was a simple task for her.

Before leaving, she handed Jiang Xi two potatoes, saying, “I’ve been making hot and sour potatoes lately, and they’re quite good. I’ll make them for you. You can’t just eat buns.”

“Thank you, Auntie,” Jiang Xi said with a smile.

“What are you thanking me for?” The aunt waved her hand cheerfully and accompanied her.

_

With experience on their side, making dumplings went quickly. Jiang Xi was starting the fire, Jiang Ermei was chopping the meat, and the aunt was kneading the dough. Each person was busy with their task.

Meanwhile, Zhang Xiuyun and her little girl were out for a stroll in the village. As a widow, Zhang Xiuyun rarely went out in Jiangjia Village.

The house they lived in had been built with great effort by Jiang’s father. If she were to remarry, she would have to leave this house. Remaining in the house as a widow would attract a lot of gossip, especially in the countryside. Zhang Xiuyun was timid and preferred to stay indoors.

She was actually pleased to be out at this time.

There was an open space in the middle of the village, featuring a large banyan tree that provided plenty of shade. Many people enjoyed spending time there when not working, and children liked to climb the tree.

Jiang Sanmei spotted her good friend, Xiaohua, there and exclaimed, “Xiaohua, I’m back!”

The children quickly resumed playing together. They eagerly shared their experiences while clinging to the branches of the banyan tree.

The adults nearby whispered among themselves but kept their voices down upon seeing Zhang Xiuyun.

However, there are always a few people who can’t keep their opinions to themselves, and Jiangjia Village was no exception. When Zhang Xiuyun approached, Gao Xiulan, a woman known for her gossiping, smiled and said, “Oh, big sister is finally out of the house. What good things did you bring? Why don’t you show them to us?”