Chapter 33: Grandma Jin 2/3

In the past, Yao Zhenfu was still nice to Jin Moli, at least he wouldn’t say such things, but these days he felt aggrieved, so he vented all his anger on Jin Moli: “What can you do? You can’t do chores well, you can’t take care of the children well, and you always look like you’re suffering!”

Yao Zhenfu said a lot to Jin Moli.

In the darkness, Jin Moli silently shed tears, feeling a bit lost.

She really didn’t expect Yao Zhenfu to say such things to her!

This evening, she saw many people in the village going to exchange head flowers with Jin Xiaoye. She wanted to ask her mother-in-law for two eggs and go to exchange one too.

As a result, before she could speak, there was a commotion at home.

With things like this at home, she naturally didn’t dare to mention exchanging head flowers… She was already very upset at the time, but she didn’t expect to feel even more upset at night.

Jin Moli cried half the night.

Yao Zhenfu was already annoyed, and seeing her cry, he started scolding again, causing the two children to cry non-stop as well.

When Li Qingzhi got up in the morning, he felt his face itch.”

He reached up and felt his face, only to realize he had been bitten.

It seemed his health had really improved quite a bit if even mosquitoes were biting him now!

Before, mosquitoes only bit the two children, not him.

Since he was awake now, Li Qingzhi got up from the bed and went to the toilet.

Their toilet was just a jar buried in the ground, with a wooden board on top to squat on.

In the hot summer, the smell of the toilet wasn’t very pleasant, but that was the way it was for everyone these days.

Their toilet was even considered clean; some families combined their toilets with pigsties, making passersby involuntarily hasten their steps.

After Li Qingzhi finished using the toilet, Jin Xiaoye also got up. Seeing this, she went to the kitchen to cook.

Lending a hand, Jin Xiaoye practiced writing words at the stove while Li Qingzhi made the fire.

Li Qingzhi was very proactive, “Xiaoye, shall I teach you some new words?”

Jin Xiaoye glanced at Li Qingzhi and said, “Not learning new words today. There will definitely be people coming to exchange head flowers later.”

As soon as she said this, a voice came from outside the house, “Xiaoye, do you still have head flowers?”

“Yes, we do!” Jin Xiaoye replied.

She thought these head flowers would sell well, so she had asked Sister Wang to prepare more.

“I want to exchange for one.” The person who came to find Jin Xiaoye brought two eggs.

Jin Xiaoye smiled and took out the head flowers for the person to choose from.

The person picked one and left. Soon after, another person arrived with a basket of loofahs, also here to exchange for head flowers.

Actually, yesterday, many people in the village didn’t plan to exchange head flowers. After all, even if they weren’t expensive, they still required two eggs.

Wouldn’t it be better to eat the eggs themselves?

But yesterday, quite a few people exchanged!

For common folks, if nobody had something, it was fine, but if someone had it, others around would also want it.

The person who came to exchange head flowers now said, “My sister-in-law picked a big red one; I want one like that too.”

“The most common color for these flowers is big red; you can choose any.” Jin Xiaoye said. Indeed, most of the head flowers were big red, but the flower centers were made in various colors, including yellow and blue.

The person picked one happily and left. Shortly after, another person arrived…

Li Qingzhi helped Jin Xiaoye tidy up things, which mainly involved putting the eggs in a bamboo basket.

While they were busy,Aunt Jin arrived.

In the past two months, Li Qingzhi had chatted with Aunt Jin a few times and was now familiar with the situation in her family.

Aunt Jin had a seventeen-year-old son, who was quiet and didn’t speak much, and a fourteen-year-old daughter with a similar personality, who was very likable to her. Her mother-in-law was particularly stingy, her father-in-law had a bad relationship with her mother-in-law, and as for her husband… he was as silent as her son, indifferent to everything.

Aunt Jin was really someone who couldn’t keep secrets; she poured out everything, even the little things in her room with her husband, to Li Qingzhi.

Even though Li Qingzhi enjoyed chatting, he found it a bit hard to handle.

“Xiaoye, I heard you’re selling head flowers? Can you give me one?” Aunt Jin asked.

Jin Xiaoye replied, “Sister-in-law, these head flowers aren’t mine. I’m just helping someone sell them; how can I give them away?”

Many people in Miaoqian Village were related to her, and if she gave one to Aunt Jin, wouldn’t others expect the same?

Then how could she make money?

“Why are you so stingy? Now both you and your husband are making money, getting rich, but what about my family? We only have that little piece of land…” Aunt Jin felt aggrieved.

Jin Xiaoye said, “Sister-in-law, a few years ago when I was having a hard time, you didn’t help me either!”

When Li Qingzhi had just returned,Aunt Jin probably avoided her because she was afraid she would ask for money.

“You really have a bad temper…” Aunt Jin murmured discontentedly after glancing covetously at the head flowers, then left.

Just as Aunt Jin left, Jin Moi arrived.

Jin Moli’s eyes were a little red. She smiled at Jin Xiaoye and said, “Xiaoye, how much for a head flower? I’ll buy one with copper coins.”

After being scolded yesterday, Jin Moli felt very upset and didn’t have the mood to dress up.

But seeing so many people in the village wearing head flowers, she didn’t know what others would say if she didn’t have one!

Unfortunately, Yao’s mother seemed particularly unhappy with her today, so she probably wouldn’t want to give her eggs to exchange for head flowers. She could only use her own private money to buy.

Originally, Yao’s family had given her a dowry, all of which she kept, and her father had given her a few taels of silver separately… Jin Moli had money.

But she had given Yao Zhenfu some before, and now there wasn’t much left.

“Three cents for two, if you want one… give me two cents, and I’ll give you some roasted peanuts?” Jin Xiaoye suggested. Eggs were worth about four cents for three, so one head flower was valued at one and a half cents.

Jin Moli said, “Just give me two!” She had been upset yesterday and wanted to treat herself better today.

Jin Xiaoye happily said, “Come, pick whichever you like.”

Jin Moli chose a yellow one and a red one, paid the money briskly, and left.

Jin Xiaoye praised, “Moli, you have good taste. These two flowers you picked are very beautiful. You already look good, you can wear both of them together on your head, and when you go out like that, everyone will surely look at you.”

Being praised by Jin Xiaoye, Jin Moli’s mood improved slightly. Seeing Jin Xiaoye’s face darkened after two months of exposure to the sun, she felt a surge of sympathy.

Rowing a boat was indeed tiring, and her father-in-law’s back had problems.

Jin Xiaoye worked hard to row the boat and only earned a few coins; wasn’t it too hard?

Jin Xiaoye didn’t know what Jin Moli was thinking and praised her a few more times.

If Jin Moli wore two head flowers out, others might also want two, and then they would come back to buy more from her!

“Xiaoye, with so many eggs, can we eat a few?” Li Laogen looked at the basket of eggs, drooling.

“Father, you’ve been eating meat every day these days, isn’t that enough?” Jin Xiaoye disagreed. “These eggs, I have to take them to town to sell.”

Hearing this, Li Laogen looked disappointed.

Jin Xiaoye saw this and said, “Father, if you go to the field today and pull out the weeds, I’ll make steamed egg custard for you tomorrow morning.”

Li Laogen immediately responded, “Xiaoye, don’t worry, I’ll definitely pull out the weeds in the field.”

Jin Xiaoye nodded, then looked a bit puzzled, “Why hasn’t Xiaoshu come yet?”