Chapter 29 

When Zheng Yuefen heard a burst of laughter outside the window, she was furious. Dong Jiahui had only been here in the family for two days and she had won over her Mother-in-law and sister-in-law. She had made clothes for them but, for her, she wouldn’t even make a bib for Shitou

“That’s too bullying. I really can’t get through this day.”

The more Zheng Yuefen thought about it, the angrier she became, and couldn’t help but nag her husband.

“What is it again?”

Zhao Donghe knows his wife’s character too well. She always cares about some trivial things, and she was small-minded. If it wasn’t for his mother to keep her in check, ensuring that she won’t make a fuss, he wouldn’t know what the family would become.

Your new sister-in-law made new clothes for your sister and mother, but she refused to make a bib for Shitou.

After listening to one sentence, Zhao Donghe was not interested in listening again.

“She doesn’t owe you anything; she can make it for whoever she wants to.”

Seeing that her husband didn’t share the common hatred with her, Zheng Yuefen frowned and shook her head and asked, “Zhao Donghe, what do you mean? Which side are you on? You saw how happy mother was when she coaxed her. If she likes her more, won’t we be at a disadvantage?”

Her in-laws have two sons. Before, their eldest son was not often at home. Her in-laws relied on her husband. Later, their eldest son returned home as a professional and became a village branch secretary. My mother-in-law’s heart has begun to be biased. If the new sister-in-law gets her in-law’s heart again, will there be a place for her and Donghe in the family?

Zhao Donghe doesn’t know the scheme in his wife’s heart. Perhaps he knows, but he did not take it seriously. He snickered. “If you’re afraid that mother will like her more, you should coax mother. You married earlier than your new sister-in-law. It’s reasonable to say that mother should like you more. If you had coaxed mother to make her happy earlier, you wouldn’t worry that your new sister-in-law will be liked more by mother.”

Zheng Yuefen was wronged by Zhao Donghe, but she just didn’t accept this anger.

“I’m just straightforward. I just can’t say those mushy words lie [Mom, you worked hard.] and [As long as Mom likes it.] Mom this and Mom that. I wouldn’t climb up and say these words just like that leftover!”

Zhao Donghe shook his head helplessly.

What do you want me to say? Who doesn’t like listening to good words? I know my mother likes listening to you say those words, but you don’t want to say them. If you are as sweet as your sister-in-law, can my mother not like you?”

Zheng Yuefen rolled her eyes and said, “So you are now admitting that mom is biased?”

Zhao Donghe frowned and denied, “When did I say mom was biased?”

“Didn’t you say that if I had a sweet mouth, mom would like me, doesn’t that mean that mom doesn’t like me?”

Zhao Donghe patted his head and felt that he was wasting his time with her, so he might as well get a good night’s sleep.

He immediately laid down and pulled the quilt back to cover himself. He closed his eyes and said, “Okay, you can say whatever you like to say. I’ll sleep first. I have to work in the afternoon.”

Zheng Yuefen was so angry that she lifted her leg and kicked him.

Sleep, sleep, sleep. All you know is sleep. What else can you do but sleep?

Heh, you do not like to sleep? Then how did we make Shitou? Didn’t you hold me that night when you didn’t want to sleep? “

Zheng Yuefen spat with a red face, “Bah! Who is holding you? Don’t hold me if you have the ability. “

“If you don’t want to hug then, don’t hug me. I will not hug you today, do not beg me when it is dark.”

Zheng Yuefen grunted and carried Shitou directly out of the courtyard and went to the next door.

“How is your new sister-in-law?”

The next-door neighbor was a family surnamed Ding. The wife’s name is Zhang Yulan, more than ten years older than Zheng Yuefen. Although the age difference between the two was big, somehow, they just look right together. Zheng Yuefen often comes over to talk to her.

“I think the previous one was better. It’s not a good match.”

Wang Mei is determined to return to the city. She doesn’t care about the Zhao family at all. For her, it’s a very cheap thing to argue with people like Zheng Yuefen. Therefore, she never had any conflicts with Zheng Yuefen, and she ignored her directly.

Zheng Yuefen obviously did not understand Wang Mei’s intentions, she only thought that Wang Mei was open-minded, unlike this Dong Jiahui, who was stingy and petty.

 When she heard Zheng Yuefen say this, Zhang Yulan raised her eyes, “You don’t like it? Your new sister-in-law looks pretty soft. There’s always a smile on her face, and she doesn’t care about what people say.”

Zhang Yulan was referring to Dong Jiahui’s performance yesterday when she was acting like a gorilla in the zoo in the new house, but she was smiling all the time, and she responded to everything that people said.

Zheng Yuefen sneered, “It’s all pretend, her mouth can talk. She coaxed Mother-in-law and sister-in-law too much.”

Then she told Zhang Yulan about today.

Let me tell you. There is enough cloth. I told her to make one for Shitou. She said it’s not good for Shitou to use fancy clothes. In the twinkling of an eye, she measured the sizes for Meixiang and my mother-in-law. When the new year comes, she wants to make new clothes for them.

Zhang Yulan staggered, “She’s like this? How nice she is. You’re a family. Why would she divide the family? “

Zheng Yuefen finally got the recognition and response from others, and at once it was as if she had found a confidant.

“No, how much cloth can a child’s bib cost? She refused to even think about it, she just didn’t want to do it for Shitou.”

Zhang Yulan said while nailing the soles of her shoes, “Then you have to be on guard in the future. Your big brother has a monthly salary of 62 yuan, your brother used to give the money to your Mother-in-law, now he married a wife, and her wife is powerful, wouldn’t your big brother leave some private money for his wife to spend? What if your Mother-in-law was also biased, won’t you and Donghe lose out?”

Zhang Yulan’s words enlightened Zheng Yuefen!

“Sister Lan, if you didn’t mention this, I wouldn’t remember this. Big brother will be able to take his salary on the 20th of each month.  Today is the 11th day, there are nine days before he gets paid.”

The good days of the Zhao family indeed came from the light of Zhao Donglin, and it was not really false. Why has Zheng Yuefen been married for so many years and has not thought about separating her family? It is because Zhao Donglin has a monthly wage earner, and the money was managed by her mother-in-law.

“It should not be, my mother-in-law certainly cannot agree.”

She didn’t see her previous sister-in-law, Wang Mei got private money from big brother.

“Men who weren’t accompanied by their wives wouldn’t know the beauty of having a wife.” But now, they are together every day. She is even eight years younger than he is. She looks beautiful. Can he not be moved? “

When Zhang Yulan said this, Zheng Yuefen remembered that Dong Jiahui’s face was white and thin. It wasn’t as big as a palm. The important thing was that her big brother seemed like he was very satisfied with his new wife. In the beginning, the eldest brother wanted to marry her.

After Zhang Yulan mentioned it, Zheng Yuefen began to pay attention to it. Before, as long as she got the salary, mother in law would weigh two kilograms of meat on her way back. On the day, she would know if there was meat at home.

After Zhang Yulan mentioned, Zheng Yuefen began to pay attention to this matter, before as long as the salary, Mother-in-law will stop by to weigh two pounds of meat back, When the day comes, you just have to look whether there is meat at home.

The family went to work in the afternoon, and Dong Jiahui was still home alone with Yingbao.

When it’s late in the day, drive the chickens to the chicken pen, and you can cook dinner.

Zhang Qiaoer explained two words and left.

Yingbao, we are the only ones left at home again. What do you want to eat tonight? Why don’t I make you a fortune cake? “

Since Zhang Qiaoer gave her the task of cooking when she just joined the family, Dong Jiahui still wanted to cook two meals, but she also liked to make her craft look good.

The first step was to mix cornmeal and flour, add yeast and brown sugar, and mix the dough with warm water.

Once the dough is ready, spread a piece of gauze on the steamer, apply oil on the surrounding areas that can contact the dough, pick the dough and put it into the steamer with chopsticks, wipe the dough flat with water or oil on your hands, and cover it to start fermentation.

The fermentation time is determined by the temperature. It is shorter in the summer and longer in the winter. It will be successful when the flour is about twice the original volume.

If the family has dates, candied fruits, and so on, she can use them to sprinkle in a layer, but since Jiahui just entered the door, she didn’t know whether the Zhao family had these, plus she already added brown sugar to the dough, so she won’t add any more.

After the preparations, the next step is to put the flour on the pot and steam it, covering it with a piece of gauze to prevent water vapor from dripping in.

According to Dong Jiahui’s experience, 20 minutes is enough for this size of cake.

Don’t remove the lid immediately after steaming, but wait for the temperature to drop before gently removing the gauze and gently shaking the steam drawer a few times to loosen the hair pudding and then invert it onto the counter.

Dong Jiahui pinched a thumb-sized piece and tasted it. It tasted sweet and fluffy without sticking to the teeth.

“Yingbao, try it. It’s delicious.

Dong Jiahui cut a small piece for Yingbao. She blew on it before bringing it to Yingbao’s mouth, and when she finished chewing it, Dong Jiahui smiled and asked, “Yingbao, is the fortune cake good?”

Yingbao nodded while eating. Children already like to eat sweet things, so when the brown sugar was added to the fortune cake, the sweetness of brown sugar and the aroma of cornmeal perfectly blended. It was soft and fluffy, the children naturally liked to eat it.

“Then do you still want to eat?”

Yingbao nodded her head.

“Little clever.”

Dong Jiahui pinched Yingbao’s little face, exclaiming that children’s skin was good, smooth in the hand, like tender tofu.

When she is at this age, even if she takes good care of herself, she will not have the same smooth skin feeling like the children.

I will give you a piece. You sit there and eat slowly. I’m going to start cooking dinner, okay?”

Yingbao nodded obediently and sat alone on a small bench. She obediently nibbles on the fortune cake one bite at a time like a small rabbit.

After finishing the first batch, Dong Jiahui made another batch. Because she had previous experience and mastered how to cook over the fire, this batch was more successful.

After making the fortune cake, Dong Jiahui began to cook the porridge, cornflour and sweet potato porridge. She heated the rest of the dishes and fried a pickle. She didn’t get anything else.

In the countryside, they don’t pay attention to the taste of the food. While cooking, she also has to consider the situation at home. She can’t lose all the family’s stock at once. She guessed that her mother-in-law wouldn’t dare let her into the kitchen again in the future.

The cooked rice was smothered in a pot, and looking at the time, everyone will be back soon.

After driving the hens back to the chicken pen, Dong Jiahui took the dried clothes and sheets back into the house and sat on the edge of the bed to fold them.

The bicycle’s bell rang. Zhao Donglin came back first. After entering the house, he looked around. He didn’t see Jiahui in the yard. Then he entered the room. He saw Dong Jiahui sitting by the bed folding clothes and Yingbao playing with her legs on the sofa.

“Back?”

Dong Jiahui had long heard the sound of the bicycle and knew that it was Zhao Donglin who had returned, after all, this was the only bicycle in the Zhao family and there was no one else but Zhao Donglin had it.

She looked back while folding her clothes, a gentle smile that made Zhao Donglin’s heart as warm and comfortable as cotton wool in the winter.

He smiled at Dong Jiahui and reached out to take Yingbao into his arms.

“Yingbao, have you been good at home today?”

Yingbao hugged Zhao Donglin’s neck and bowed his head without saying anything. In fact, Dong Jiahui had already noticed that Yingbao was not close to Zhao Donglin, including Heidan, who was a bit afraid of him.

Dong Jiahui smiled and said, “Yingbao is very well behaved. She was especially obedient, she didn’t make any noise when she wake up from her nap, and she even ate two small pieces of fortune cake.”

Yingbao looked at Dong Jiahui and smiled, a smile with the shyness exclusive from children.

Zhao Donglin smiled and stroked Yingbao’s head, sighing, “You get along better with Yingbao than I do. With only one day’s work and she likes you.”

After returning from the army, he was determined to raise his children. Who knew that when he went into the village, he would work every day and he didn’t have much time to stay at home. Usually, his mother and sister took care of his children.

As for Heidan, before, he would sleep with him every night. When he thought that his relationship with Heidan was okay, he was quite lively and understanding, but aside from these two days, his performance was not satisfactory.

“Maybe I’m more kid-friendly, my mother’s niece also likes me.”

Zhao Donglin smiled. The child is the simplest. If someone was good to them, they would be good to that person in return. Like Yingbao, at home she was closest to his mother and Mei Xiang because they had more time with her, they spend more energy, even he, the father, because he doesn’t have much time to accompany his daughter, it is not easy for him to get close to his daughter.

The reason why the child fell in love with her in one day was that Dong Jiahui is patient with the child, and it is because Yingbao feels the kindness of Dong Jiahui, she was willing to get close and like her.

The Zhao family came home one after another after it was getting hot and dark. The seeds that were planted in these past few days had to be plowed before they were frozen to plant winter wheat.

The production team only has two cows and a tractor. Most of the lands still depend on human labour to complete.

It is reasonable to say that Zhao Donglin was also very busy during this period of time. He has to inspect the work of all teams in the village. In the past, he came back only after it was dark. After he got married, he also learned to be on time. People in the village committee joked that people who get married and have a wife were really different, and they know that he would return home like an arrow.

Dong Jiahui’s dinner was unanimously approved by the family, and the fortune cake looked simple, but it was not easy to make.

The men are fine, just fill their stomachs, but the women in the family liked this sweet and fluffy food. It is a meal that is a pleasure to eat.

After a hard day in the field, Zhang Qiaoer was satisfied to have such a delicious dinner.

After eating their dinner and doing some chores, Dong Jiahui was supposed to take Yingbao to bed with her. She had been carrying her for a day.

“You’re still newlyweds, there’s no need to rush to raise the baby.”

How can you cultivate feelings with the child first? Didn’t you see my son’s face full of anxiety?

When Zhao Meixiang took Yingbao from Dong Jiahui, Dong Jiahui’s face turned red. Mother-in-law was really “thinking” of her, and had reserved a world for them. However, she doesn’t know how to face Zhao Donglin now.

When she came back to the room, Zhao Donglin was reading the meeting notes, wearing a white undershirt with his smooth muscles showing, bursting with a firm and manly taste.