Chapter 82

Mother Li had just stormed out in anger, and Jiang Ailing couldn’t be more pleased with herself.  

Now that Mother Li had returned, Jiang Ailing’s smugness only grew, her nose practically tilting toward the sky.  

The sight of her arrogance made Mother Li even angrier. Seeing this, she abandoned the idea of discussing matters with Father Li and instead shouted directly in the courtyard: “I’m building a new kitchen!”  

It was just after breakfast, and everyone in Old Li’s family was still at home.  

Upon hearing this, they all turned to look.  

Jiang Ailing was delighted. Since the family had already split up, she naturally didn’t want to squeeze into the same kitchen with everyone else. Who knew if they would secretly use her oil and salt?  

Indeed, her ongoing rivalry with Mother Li was proving effective.  

Thinking of this, Jiang Ailing became even more excited. She pretended to be considerate and said: “Mother, really? If you’re going to build a new kitchen, Sanhong can help with the construction!”  

“He should help, of course!” Mother Li shot a glance at Li Sanhong. Li Sanhong looked slightly embarrassed and turned his head away.  

“But there’s one more thing—since I’m building this kitchen, the cost must be shared between the first household and your third household!”  

Jiang Ailing’s face stiffened.

They had to pay? How could that be?

She quickly protested: “Mother, you’re the one building a new kitchen. Why should we pay? We don’t even want a new kitchen!”  

“You don’t want to pay? Fine!” Mother Li retorted bluntly. “The old kitchen was built by me and the old man. Now that the family has split, since we’re living with the eldest household, the kitchen should be ours. You can pack up your things and get out!”  

“Then where are we supposed to go?” Jiang Ailing panicked.

“Go wherever you want! It’s none of my damn business!” Mother Li snapped unceremoniously. “You dare to use my kitchen and still throw an attitude at me? Well, I don’t want to share a kitchen with you anymore. Figure it out yourself!”  

“Sanhong!” Jiang Ailing quickly signaled Li Sanhong to say something.  

“I agree to build a new kitchen!” Li Sanhong spoke up before Mother Li could even glare at him.  

Jiang Ailing panicked. “Li Sanhong, you—”  

“Shut up!” Li Sanhong roared impatiently, his head aching.

Did she really want to keep fighting with his mother?  

The last time they had argued with Mother Li, it had even led to the family splitting up. Because of that, Jiang Ailing no longer had the same confidence when speaking to Li Sanhong.

Now, after being scolded by him, she could only bite her lip in frustration and stay silent.  

Mother Li, pleased to see Jiang Ailing suffer a setback, turned to the eldest household couple. “Eldest son, eldest daughter-in-law, do you agree?”  

No matter how this turned out, the decision favored the eldest household!  

Li Dabin and He Zhaodi naturally agreed and nodded eagerly.  

But Jiang Ailing was still unwilling to accept this. If they had to build a new kitchen, why should only their household and the eldest household pay?  

After all, the elderly couple didn’t just have Li Dabin and Li Sanhong as sons—they also had Li Chen!  

Clearly, Mother Li was favoring the second household! The second household was the wealthiest, yet they weren’t being asked to contribute at all!  

Unwilling to back down, Jiang Ailing said: “Fine, Mother, let’s build it then! But shouldn’t Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law contribute some money too?”  

“Why should they pay?” Mother Li scoffed. “Are they the ones who need this kitchen? Or did you chip in when they built theirs?”  

“But won’t you and Father be using the new kitchen too? Shouldn’t Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law show some filial respect—”  

“Pah!” Mother Li spat on the ground. “When they show filial piety by giving me meat and wool yarn, do you ever contribute anything?”

Jiang Ailing remained stubborn. “Even so, shouldn’t Eldest Brother and Eldest Sister-in-law pay more? They’re the ones who will be using the new kitchen.”  

She spoke as if using the old kitchen put her at a disadvantage.  

Mother Li flared up. “The eldest household has to take care of me and the old man. If they don’t pay extra, that’s already a favor to you. Why should they pay more?”  

“Enough! We’ll do as Mother says!” Seeing that his mother was getting angry again, Li Sanhong quickly reprimanded Jiang Ailing.  

Jiang Ailing shrank her neck. No matter how unwilling she was, she had no choice. She regretted everything now—if she had known, she wouldn’t have gone head-to-head with that wretched old woman. Now, who knew how much money they’d have to spend!  

And just like that, the kitchen construction was settled.  

Old Li’s family had a large courtyard and plenty of laborers. Li Dabin often built houses for others, so they didn’t even need to hire help.  

With nothing else to do, they discussed with Father Li where to build the kitchen and how big it should be. That afternoon, they borrowed a cart and went to buy adobe bricks.  

Jiang Ailing reluctantly took out twenty yuan, only to be scolded and spat at by Mother Li.

In the end, Li Sanhong took charge and handed over fifty yuan.  

Mother Li’s face instantly lit up with joy, blooming like a flower.

The sight of it made Jiang Ailing grind her teeth in frustration.  

As soon as Mother Li left, Jiang Ailing dragged Li Sanhong into their room and scolded him. “What are you doing? Why did you give that old—give Mother so much money? Building a kitchen doesn’t cost that much, and the eldest household is paying too!”  

“Didn’t Mother say she’d return any extra?” Li Sanhong replied impatiently. His frustration toward Jiang Ailing was growing.  

If not for her, he wouldn’t be in such an awkward situation with his parents, eldest brother and sister-in-law, or even his second brother and second sister-in-law.  

“You actually believe her?” Jiang Ailing was livid. They had fought hard for that two hundred yuan, and now a quarter of it was gone. Given her relationship with Mother Li, she didn’t believe for a second that she’d get a single coin back!  

Thinking about this, she became even angrier. “And you didn’t even go with Eldest Brother to transport the bricks! Now, when it comes time to settle the costs, won’t they have the final say?”

“What do I need to go for? Isn’t Eldest Brother capable? Stop assuming everyone is greedy, will you? Mother and Eldest Brother aren’t that kind of people!” Li Sanhong grumbled as he sprawled onto the kang bed.  

“I’m not going, period. I’m already exhausted from chopping firewood these past few days. Tomorrow, I still have to help build the kitchen. Today, I’m resting. If you want to go, go yourself!”  

Jiang Ailing was so furious she nearly choked.

She glared at Li Sanhong’s back for a long time but couldn’t find the words to argue.  

Li Sanhong had been spoiled by Father Li and Mother Li since childhood. Before marrying Jiang Ailing, he had been lazy and carefree. Only after getting married and having children did he start taking on some responsibilities.  

He would go to work when necessary, but he was far from diligent.  

As a grown man, he only earned the fixed eight work points a day—never a bit more. The moment he finished his tasks, he went straight home.  

Even Chen Jiayi, a female educated youth, sometimes earned ten work points—he wasn’t even as hardworking as her.  

Thinking about this, Jiang Ailing suddenly felt a deep sense of regret.

She should never have agreed to split from the family, or at the very least, she shouldn’t have allowed Father Li and Mother Li to live with the eldest household.  

She had four children. The eldest, Li Tiezhu, was only nine years old. Her two daughters were eight and six, and the youngest, Goudan, was just five.  

A single growing child could eat a mother into poverty—let alone four!  

If Father Li and Mother Li were still living with them, things would be different. Both of them were still strong and healthy. Father Li worked almost every day and earned ten work points, while Mother Li could sometimes earn ten as well. They could have helped support the household at least a little.  

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.

If it weren’t for Shen Yiyi, they wouldn’t be in such a miserable situation!  

But no matter how much she resented it, there was no turning back now.  

That made Jiang Ailing even more anxious—she couldn’t just let that fifty yuan go to waste.  

Without hesitation, she rushed out and joined the eldest household couple to help transport the adobe bricks!