Chapter 17.1

Mrs. Lin took the clothes out of the basket while asking, “Why are you asking about chicks? We don’t raise them at home.”

Speaking of this, Mrs. Lin got annoyed. City people were too pretentious; the third daughter-in-law complained that the chicken coop smelled too bad, so she didn’t want to raise them.

But she never complained about eating eggs regularly. Weren’t eggs taken from the chicken coop? If they raised chickens, they could save money on eggs.

“My family is going to raise them,” Yibao’s eyes gleamed. “Grandma, my mom said we’re going to raise chickens at home, and all the eggs laid will be for me, Erbao, and San Bao to eat.”

“What?” Mrs. Lin didn’t understand. Could the words of the second daughter-in-law have such a big impact on the third daughter-in-law? She was afraid Yibao and Erbao would ask Guodong to change wives.

If she had known these words were effective, she would have said them earlier. “Forget it, I’ll go ask your mom.” She was also worried that Yibao, being young, might not understand the situation clearly.

What if the third daughter-in-law didn’t actually want to raise chickens?

“Okay,” Yibao grinned, showing all his teeth. Only with Grandma Lin could he smile so innocently.

Mrs. Lin held Yibao’s hand and walked towards the third daughter-in-law’s house, asking along the way if they had eaten enough for dinner and what they had eaten.

The eldest daughter-in-law, Qian Aifen, looked at the grandmother and grandson’s backs.

Sometimes she felt it wasn’t fair. Not only did Zhang Qinfang sometimes say sarcastic things to Ning Shu, but she herself couldn’t help feeling a bit resentful. After all, her in-laws were too good to the third family.

Although the old couple still lived with them without splitting the family, just separating the third family was enough to make people envy.

After all, which young daughter-in-law didn’t want to be in charge? Moreover, looking at how the third daughter-in-law lived, the three children didn’t need her to worry about anything from birth.

From postpartum recovery to child-rearing, the mother-in-law took care of everything. She didn’t even have to work; she could eat eggs every day, and even now, the mother-in-law washed the children’s clothes after they changed.

And them? They went to work immediately after postpartum recovery and even when pregnant, they had to do some light work.

Ah… people’s lives really couldn’t be compared.

Some bitterness could only be swallowed, especially since the third child was the most promising one.

On the way, Yibao talked about what they had for dinner, mentioning the eggs and meat they had eaten. “Grandma, tonight Mom made eggs and meat for us. San Bao ate steamed egg custard, and Erbao and I had scrambled eggs with green onions and meat stir-fried with bok choy. Also, Mom fed Erbao and me the steamed egg custard…” The usually calm five-year-old boy couldn’t stop talking, his voice filled with joy.

Mrs. Lin thought, no matter what, children still needed their mother. The third daughter-in-law hadn’t cared about Yibao for five years.

It was rare for her to be kind to him once, and he was overjoyed. So letting the child change mothers was not an option. A stepmother could never replace a biological mother in a child’s heart.

“It’s because your mom sees how good you are. Since Yibao is so well-behaved, everyone will like him,” Mrs. Lin never spoke ill of her daughter-in-law in front of the children, and in her heart, Ning Shu wasn’t that bad either.

“Does that mean Mom likes us too?” Yibao asked hopefully.

“Of course,” Mrs. Lin replied. Actually, she wasn’t sure. But as long as Ning Shu was a bit generous to the children, that could be considered liking them.

Yibao’s smile brightened even more at hearing this.

Ning Shu finished bathing and planned to wash the clothes. She didn’t like leaving them overnight. “Er-bao, where are the clothes you changed out of?”

Since she was going to wash her own clothes, it was only proper to wash the three boys’ clothes too, right? She was their mother now, and until they were capable of taking care of themselves, she couldn’t ignore them like the previous owner did.

Even if she didn’t care about idle gossip, the three boys were still too young.

“Big brother took them to Grandma to wash,” Erbao replied from inside the house.

Ning Shu then remembered that Mrs. Lin used to wash the three boys’ baths along with their clothes. Since Yibao had already taken them over, she let it go. She didn’t mind washing a few less clothes.

Sitting by the well, Ning Shu washed the clothes. She couldn’t help but appreciate having a well. Otherwise, she would have to carry the clothes to the river to wash, which she wasn’t used to.

“Third daughter-in-law…” Ning Shu had only washed one piece of clothing when she heard Mrs. Lin’s voice.

She looked up to see Mrs. Lin holding a basket, leading Yibao back. “Mom…” Ning Shu called out.

Mrs. Lin responded with a grunt and then asked, “Third daughter-in-law, I heard Yibao say you’re planning to raise chickens?”

Ning Shu had indeed forgotten about it. “Yes, do you know where I can buy chickens? I want to buy egg-laying hens.”

“Egg-laying hens? They’re not cheap. Are you planning to buy egg-laying hens to eat?” Mrs. Lin frowned.

“No, I’m buying them to raise for eggs,” Ning Shu explained. “We currently need at least four eggs a day in our house, which is half a kilogram every two days, which is about 50 cents. In a month, we spend about 7 or 8 yuan on eggs. With that money, I can buy two hens directly. Even if they lay only one egg a day, that’s at least 30 eggs a month, which is at least 3 kilograms, bringing back 1.5 yuan. And chicks take three to four months before they start laying eggs. With egg-laying hens, I can recoup five or six yuan’s worth of eggs in three to four months, which is the cost of two hens, right?”

Mrs. Lin: “…” Could this be calculated this way? But listening to her explain it, there really seemed to be no problem.

Even more so, the third daughter-in-law’s approach was quite good.

No, she couldn’t be swayed by her. “Since you want to buy egg-laying hens, then it’s up to you. You can buy egg-laying hens in the village, and as for the chicken coop, I’ll have your father and the eldest and second sons come to help you build it tomorrow noon.”

“Thank you, Mom.” Ning Shu didn’t refuse. When her father-in-law finished building the chicken coop tomorrow, she would give them a pound of farmhouse sausage as a token of appreciation.

“What’s there to thank for? We’re family.” Mrs. Lin said generously. Hearing the words ‘thank you’ from the third daughter-in-law’s mouth, she felt like she could live a long life. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll head back.”

Mrs. Lin returned home happily. Seeing everyone from both households and the old man, except Zhang Qinfang, all sitting neatly, and all looking at her, she grunted, “What are you all looking at?”

“Mom, is there something good happening? You look so happy,” Qian Aifen asked. It was the first time they had seen their mother-in-law come back from the third family looking so happy, so everyone was curious.

Seeing someone ask, Mrs. Lin explained about Ning Shu’s plan to raise egg-laying hens. “You see, educated people’s minds are sharp. After she calculated like that, buying egg-laying hens is indeed more convenient than buying chicks.”

Hearing Mrs. Lin’s words, the other members of the Lin family also listened in. Qian Aifen remarked, “The third sister-in-law is a high school student. Not everyone can go to high school. Those who can make it to high school definitely aren’t dumb.”

Actually, what she was thinking was, can a dumb person calculate like the third daughter-in-law?

Mrs. Lin replied, “But her cleverness isn’t used in the right places.” She only thinks about herself.

Qian Aifen smiled, not daring to agree with her, “That’s because the third sister-in-law is blessed.”

A husband who earns money and a mother-in-law who takes care of the children, in the entire area, whose life is as pleasant as the third sister-in-law’s?

“Are you unlucky?” Mrs. Lin replied with a smile. “I can’t speak for the whole village, but even within our Qinglin Bay brigade, I’m considered a good mother-in-law. I’ve never set strict rules for you daughters-in-law. While I may not treat each grandchild equally, I’ve never mistreated anyone either. As long as they reach the right age, I always chip in to send them to school. I know you all think I favor the third son, but even though my heart may lean a certain way, I’m still fair. Besides, being good to the third son also benefits the brotherly bond between them. I can’t afford to mistreat him, or else the brothers might drift apart. Then, do you have any relatives to be proud of?”

Although she did favor the third son among the children, she was also clear-headed and wouldn’t use the money earned by her other sons to subsidize the third one. Everything spent on the third son’s marriage was earned through his own hard work and sacrifice.

Qian Aifen never denied Mrs. Lin’s kindness as a mother-in-law, but human nature was never satisfied. Nevertheless, she said, “Being a daughter-in-law of the Lin family is our good fortune.”

“Some people may not think so and insist on stirring up trouble at home,” Mrs. Lin glanced at the door of the second family’s room. “Second son, your wife came back from work this afternoon and went straight to the room. Isn’t she still unwell? If she’s unwell, how can she work in the afternoon? She’s truly an outstanding laborer.”

“Well…” Lin Guoliang was also puzzled. If his wife was unwell, how could she still go to work? But if she was well, why didn’t she come out for dinner and instead ate the sweet potatoes he dug up? “Should we find a barefoot doctor to check on her?” He was genuinely concerned.

“Go ahead, you go and fetch the barefoot doctor.” Mrs. Lin didn’t know if Zhang Qinfang had overheard what happened at the third son’s house at noon, so she stayed away from her room as soon as she got home.

She was also worried that Zhang Qinfang might be truly ill, and if anything happened, it wouldn’t be good.

Hearing Mrs. Lin’s suggestion to fetch the barefoot doctor, Qian Aifen, who understood the situation, disagreed. If they called the barefoot doctor, even if there wasn’t anything wrong, they would still find something to treat, and she didn’t want to spend the community’s money on Zhang Qinfang’s health if she wasn’t actually sick.

If Zhang Qinfang was truly ill, then that would be another matter. But clearly, she wasn’t. So Qian Aifen went to Mrs. Lin and whispered a few words, revealing what she and Zhang Qinfang had heard at noon.

Mrs.Lin face grew darker as she strode to the door of the second family’s room. “Zhang Qinfang, get out here right now…” Bang, bang, bang…

Lin’s mother was still quite healthy from years of hard work, so her knocks resounded loudly on the door.

“Mom, what’s going on? Why are you so angry with my Wife?” Lin Guoliang hurriedly asked.

Mrs. Lin didn’t hide anything. Firstly, Qian Aifen already knew, secondly, if she didn’t give an explanation to Ning Shu, she wouldn’t back down from making a scene, and their entire family couldn’t handle her tantrums.

Thirdly, such words shouldn’t have been said in the first place. If Zhang Qinfang wasn’t taught a lesson, with her personality, there might be a next time.

“Do you know what she usually tells Yibao and Erbao? She tells them to ask their dad to find them a stepmother.”

“This… this can’t be true?” Lin Guoliang was shocked. Could his mother really say something like that?

“Why wouldn’t it be true? Yibao and Erbao said it themselves. Do you think they would lie? If it wasn’t for her, how would Yibao and Erbao know to ask their dad to find them a stepmother? Besides, if she wasn’t feeling guilty, why didn’t she come in and explain when she overheard Yibao and Erbao talking about it at the third son’s house at noon? Did she think everything would be fine if she just ignored it? She’s delusional… I’m telling you, Zhang Qinfang, if you don’t come out, then get back to your mother’s house. Our Lin family doesn’t need troublemakers like you.”

Inside the room, Zhang Qinfang heard this and knew that Qian Aifen had told Mrs. Lin about what happened at noon.

She didn’t expect her sister-in-law, who usually seemed so nice, to report her. She was really angry.

“Open the door… Zhang Qinfang, open the door for me. Our family doesn’t need troublemakers like you. If Guodong wants to find a stepmother for Yibao and Erbao, let Guoliang find a new mother for his children first.” Mrs. Lin continued knocking on the door, not forgetting to threaten.

Zhang Qinfang was originally eating sweet potatoes in the room.

Now frightened by Mrs. Lin’s words, she quickly hid the sweet potatoes and opened the door, saying, “Mom, I’m sorry.”

She was a soft-hearted person. If Guoliang really wanted to kick her out, she wouldn’t find another family like this.

“Mom, I was just joking with Yibao and Erbao. I didn’t know they would take it seriously.” She said it casually, not intending for Lin Guodong and Ning Shu to divorce.

After all, she didn’t think Yibao and Erbao could persuade Lin Guodong to divorce.

“I spit… joking? Which family jokes about causing a nephew to ask his parents for a divorce? Is this a family tradition in the Zhang family, teaching daughters to persuade their younger brothers and sisters to divorce?” Mrs. Lin scolded angrily.

“Mom, it’s my fault. Whether you want to scold or hit me, I’ll accept it. I won’t dare to say it again in the future. Please forgive me this once.” Zhang Qinfang gritted her teeth and knelt down.

Anyway, kneeling in front of her mother-in-law wasn’t embarrassing; it was better than being kicked out.

“Mom, My wife was wrong. Please forgive her this once. I’ll keep an eye on her in the future.” Lin Guoliang was upset that Zhang Qinfang would say such things, but he didn’t want to change his wife.

“If just saying ‘I’m sorry’ is enough for making mistakes, then anyone can make mistakes. Besides, is she apologizing to me? It’s you that she owes an apology to, not me. Whether I forgive her or not isn’t important. It depends on what your sister-in-law says and whether she forgives you.” Mrs. Lin’s tone was stern.

“I’ll go apologize to my third sister-in-law right away,” Zhang Qinfang said as she stood up.

“Forget it, it’s already late. The third family is probably already asleep. What’s the use of going now? Go tomorrow.” Mrs. Lin felt that this matter wasn’t over yet.

If the third daughter-in-law was easy to appease, their family wouldn’t have split, and she wouldn’t be living in a smaller house now.

However, this matter depended on whether the third daughter-in-law could calm down. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be good for relations with the third family.

Although there wouldn’t be a rift between the brothers, there would still be some issues.

Later that night, lying in bed, Mrs. Lin discussed Ning Shu’s situation with Mr. Lin. “I feel like the third daughter-in-law has changed a bit. Today, she even bathed the three children and gave them meat and eggs. You don’t know, Yibao was so happy.”

Mr. Lin replied, “Maybe she was frightened by what the second daughter-in-law said. Anyway, it’s always good for her to be nice to the children.”

Mrs. Lin agreed, “That’s true. No matter how good we are to the children, we can’t compare to their biological mother. Sigh…”

Meanwhile, Ning Shu was staring at her phone, or more precisely, at the time on her phone. She had to wait until after midnight to secretly sell the pumpkins.

Although Ning Shu was feeling quite alert now after napping for a few hours in the afternoon, she couldn’t fall asleep at night. Unfortunately, there was no entertainment here, not even games on her phone. Unable to wait until midnight and unable to sleep, the bored Ning Shu took out the clothes from the bottom of the box, which the original owner couldn’t wear.

As she pulled out the clothes, she was surprised at how many there were. The original owner had so many clothes she couldn’t wear, totaling about twenty to thirty pieces.

When she first arrived in the countryside, she was thin and weak. In the five years since marrying Lin Guodong, whether it was her height or weight, it kept increasing every year.

So, every year or every few months, there were clothes that she couldn’t fit into anymore. Especially in the first two years, she almost had to change clothes every month.