Chapter 6: The Competition Between Popsicles and Ice Powder

Flower patterned cotton cloth is breathable, durable, and beautiful. It’s a hot commodity in this era.

One foot of patterned cloth costs around two yuan and fifty cents on the market. Six feet of cloth makes one dress, costing fifteen yuan in total.

You also need cloth coupons to buy it!

Li Lan didn’t use the cloth to make herself a new dress. Instead, she sold it to Wang Guiying, the only seamstress in the village.

First, she couldn’t bear to use it like that. Second, she was afraid Su Tang would grab the clothes if she made them. It was better to exchange it for money and secretly hide it—who would know?

Wang Guiying knew Li Lan was afraid of her mother-in-law, and that there was something fishy about her secretly selling the cloth, so she tried her best to haggle the price down.

After several rounds of intense bargaining, they settled on ten yuan.

Li Lan, clutching ten yuan, was in a great mood. She spent twelve cents to buy six popsicles and took them to the field.

Old Lady Mu and the others were working hard in the heat. The two elders and their four sons could enjoy the popsicles to cool down.

The villagers working alongside them were envious.

“The eldest daughter-in-law is so filial, she even bought popsicles for you all.”

“She didn’t just buy them for her in-laws and husband, but also for her younger brothers-in-law. She’s such a good person!”

“…”

Li Lan was flattered. “Oh, it’s nothing, it’s what a family should do.”

Mu Jingyun and Mu Jingzhou remained silent.

They knew in their hearts whether their eldest sister-in-law was virtuous or not. They had only eaten popsicles once in two years.

“Old Five, find a wife as virtuous as your eldest sister-in-law in the future. Don’t find someone who’s all looks and no substance,” Old Lady Mu said pointedly.

Mu Jingrong sucked on his popsicle, thinking: I want to find someone like my second sister-in-law, who cooks delicious food!

Mu Jingyuan, who was frugal, quietly asked Li Lan, “Are you crazy today?”

“I sold the flower cloth Su Tang gave me earlier,” Li Lan made the sign of the cross.

Mu Jingyuan immediately stopped feeling bad about the money.

Spending a yuan or two out of ten yuan was nothing. However, with another mouth to feed next year when the baby is born, they still needed to save money.

“Don’t buy them anymore. It’s unfair for a whole family to only eat what we buy. If you want to eat something, eat it quietly in the house,” Mu Jingyuan instructed.

Li Lan nodded in agreement.

“Oh, you’re eating popsicles! Did the eldest sister-in-law buy them?” Su Tang and Yu Miaomiao arrived “late.”

One carried an antimony pot, the other held a bowl.

The two beautiful new daughters-in-law were well-groomed, with fair skin, and walked gracefully (unlike their awkward gait on the uneven field path), attracting much attention.

Virtue paled in comparison to beauty.

Especially among the unmarried young men in the village, who all stared at them intently.

Mu Jingyun immediately ran to the field ridge, asserting his ownership. “Wife, why are you and your third sister-in-law here?”

“We made ice powder to cool you down,” Yu Miaomiao handed the antimony pot to Mu Jingyun.

A full pot of ice powder mixed with brown sugar water, crystal clear. It looked tempting on a hot day.

Mu Jingyun’s eyes were full of surprise. “Wife, you’re so capable.”

“That’s right.” Yu Miaomiao also felt proud of herself, for finding ice powder seeds in this era of extreme material scarcity.

Mu Jingyun called his family over to drink the ice powder. Each person had a bowl, and there was even more to spare.

The people who had just praised Li Lan’s virtue were once again envious. They began to praise Yu Miaomiao enviously: “Old Mu, your daughters-in-law are all so sensible!”

“Beautiful and virtuous, your Mu family must have ancestral blessings!”

“…”

Li Lan felt uncomfortable.

She was virtuous, but those two were beautiful and virtuous.

She had lost…

Old Man Mu, who had been angry at his two daughters-in-law for not working before going to the field, was now beaming with pride at the praise. “My Mu family’s sons have good eyesight, they know how to choose women.”

“Good family style, passed down from generation to generation,” Old Lady Mu added.

This implied that she, as the mother-in-law, had done a good job in disciplining them.

Everyone was even more envious.

“If we had known the eldest sister-in-law bought popsicles, we would have saved the ice powder for tomorrow,” Su Tang said with a sweet smile, looking harmless.

Li Lan, already feeling guilty, was afraid when she saw her appearance and prepared to slip away.

“Eldest sister-in-law.”

As expected, even though the request came late, it wouldn’t be missed!

“Eldest sister-in-law, where are our popsicles?” Su Tang held out her slender, white hand.

Li Lan wanted to spit at her!

She only knew how to ask for things, shameless!

“Eldest sister-in-law, you didn’t buy any for us, did you?” Yu Miaomiao also asked.

She was a cool beauty, and her voice was not as soft as Su Tang’s, but a chilling “freeze.”

Li Lan indeed didn’t buy any for them.

They had ganged up on her, and now they wanted to eat her popsicles?

But with so many people watching in the field, she couldn’t admit it. So she said, “I came to the field first, afraid the popsicles would melt. I’ll bring them for you when we go home.”

“Then let’s go together later,” Yu Miaomiao’s gaze shifted downward, landing on Li Lan’s pants pocket.

Li Lan’s heart tightened, and she instinctively covered her pocket.

Yu Miaomiao: Target locked…

Su Tang received her sister’s signal and asked Mu Jingzhou with a sweet smile, “Third brother, is it sweet?”

“Sweet.”

Mu Jingzhou was captivated by her, momentarily unsure whether the soup or the person was sweeter.

“Mung bean soup or popsicles, which is better?”

“Mung bean soup!”

Mu Jingzhou didn’t hesitate to make his choice.

Su Tang was very satisfied. “Third brother, the second sister-in-law and I have discussed it. Although we don’t work, we can do the logistics. From now on, we will make mung bean soup every day to cool you down.”

Mu Jingzhou, single for twenty-three years, had never been cared for by a woman like this before!

A faint smile appeared on his usually tense face. “Okay.”

“The brown sugar for the ice powder today was bought by the second sister-in-law, and the second brother gave her five yuan,” Su Tang’s watery eyes blinked.

Mu Jingzhou suddenly realized: He hadn’t given his wife any money in two days!

He patted his pocket, only finding two cents, which was too little to give.

So he said, “Our money is under the pillow, move the board.”

Su Tang’s eyes widened in disbelief that Mu Jingzhou would just hand over his family’s money to her!

It must be just his pocket money, definitely not all of it.

Su Tang’s heart beat faster, eager to go home and verify her thoughts!

“Old Mu’s daughters-in-law, if you’re not working, just go back! Since you came, everyone doesn’t want to work anymore.”

Someone complained, and Mu Jingzhou looked back.

Indeed, everyone had stopped working! Men and women were all looking at them.

And some were not looking at his wife.

A sense of crisis arose in his heart, and he handed the bowl to Su Tang: “Let’s go back!”

“Okay!”

Su Tang carried the bowl, Yu Miaomiao carried the pot, and Li Lan trailed behind, slowly dragging her feet.

Su Tang and Yu Miaomiao waited on the roadside for a while before she arrived.

“Eldest sister-in-law, let’s go buy popsicles,” Su Tang called.

Li Lan wanted to give them money to buy their own, but she was afraid they would see how much money she had, so she went with them.

Unexpectedly, Su Tang actually took the most expensive milk popsicle!

Five cents a piece!

Li Lan couldn’t bear it. “Third sister-in-law, let’s get the glutinous rice flavor, that one is delicious.”

“No, I like this one.” Su Tang tore off the wrapper and took a bite.

Seeing this, Yu Miaomiao said, “I want milk too.”

Li Lan:………

Oh dear, two popsicles cost ten cents!

“Eldest sister-in-law, pay up!” Su Tang said while eating.

Li Lan turned her back and secretly touched her money.

Suddenly, her elbow was bumped from behind.

“Eldest sister-in-law, be careful!” Yu Miaomiao quickly grabbed her hand.

Whoosh—almost all the money in her pants pocket spilled out onto the ground.