Lu Dajie mentioned to Lin Shu that she wanted to collect some large and small intestines to make sausages, as they would be great for New Year’s celebrations and would impress guests.

She thought it would be a good way to please her in-laws and make a good impression.

Her father-in-law wanted to host several tables of guests during the New Year, including people from the commune and the county.

Since sausages and braised meat are so fragrant, they could even be used as gifts for people in the county.

Maybe she could arrange a job for Guohua as well.

Fang Dihua thought to herself, why involve the Third Daughter-in-law in this?

It’s not like she’s going to do the work herself.

Lin Shu, who had mostly been silent during their conversation, spoke up, “Eldest Sister, you shouldn’t do this. If people report you for profiteering, it could get Guohua and his father into trouble.”

Lu Dajie responded, “What’s there to report? Everyone buys some food.”

Lin Shu replied, “It’s not quite that simple. While it’s fine for ordinary people to buy food, if someone is watching you, it could be problematic. Even eggs are scrutinized. For example, Lu Shaocai next door was reported for profiteering with chickens.”

Lu Dajie was aware of this; her father-in-law had mentioned it.

She whispered, “Third Sister-in-law, Lu Shaocai being reported wasn’t…”

Fang Dihua interjected, “What nonsense are you talking about?”

Lin Shu continued, “Eldest Sister, think about it. Our Eldest Brother Lu Dage became an accountant through his own skills, while Lu Shaocai was chosen by the commune members based on his connection.”

Lu Dajie laughed, clearly not convinced.

Fang Dihua looked at her, sensing that she might have been influenced by Ding Jia Chang’s official rhetoric.

Lu Hehuan said, “Eldest Sister, you misunderstood. It really wasn’t my Third Sister-in-law. Xu Shihua said that Third Sister-in-law is not that kind of person, and she wouldn’t have any reason to report him. Reporting wouldn’t remove Cousin Dazhang; only if the commune felt he was useless would they consider replacing him, and then the secretary would guide the members to elect someone else.”

Xu Shihua had explained this at length.

Some details she remembered, some she didn’t.

She thought Xu Shihua had good intentions.

Although Third Sister-in-law scolded him, he didn’t hold a grudge and even spoke up for her.

Third Sister-in-law shouldn’t have ill feelings toward him.

She hoped her explanation would make Third Sister-in-law treat Xu Shihua better.

Lin Shu wasn’t appreciative.

She glanced at Lu Hehuan, who wasn’t entirely useless, but because he wasn’t useless and was quite clever, Lu Hehuan was indeed under his control.

Rather than just brainwashing with romance, Xu Shihua’s method of simultaneously suppressing and providing emotional value was far more addictive and dangerous.

Given Lu Hehuan’s current state, even if Xu Shihua momentarily made her feel detached and distant, she would surely leap at the olive branch he extended, returning to him.

Lu Dajie, after hearing Lin Shu’s point, started to agree…

There are certainly people watching over the father-in-law. If something goes wrong, it will be too obvious, and could cause trouble.

Never mind, the father-in-law has his plans, and it’s best to let him take charge since he’s dedicated to the good of the country and family.

The father-in-law always thanks her for expanding the Ding family, giving him three grandsons, and ensuring the family line continues.

He also says that the future of the family now rests with her and the children, so she doesn’t need to worry much.

Lin Shu isn’t thinking about the Ding family; she’s thinking about her own future.

Sister Lu Dajie is a nice person, and her father-in-law and brother-in-law seem decent as well.

The relatives are harmonious and supportive now, which is good.

But as the saying goes, everyone is nice when things are going well.

You never know how deep people’s hearts can sink.

In the original story, the Lu family wasn’t as good, right?

After the original owner and Lu Shaotang were gone, and after Panpan and Tiantian had problems, the Lu family faced continuous troubles.

Sister Lu Dajie wanted to support her parents, but her in-laws thought the Lu family was finished and had no hope, so they restricted her from helping her family too much.

Sister Lu Dajie had limited ability.

She had a good relationship with her husband and cared more for Xiu Xiu and Lu Ping, so she was more inclined to support them.

But sadly, Sister Lu Dajie’s kindness was limited.

She had no say in her own children’s education; everything was decided by her father-in-law.

How much could she really help?

Ding Jia Chang is someone who is nice when things are good.

He’ll butter you up and be sweet if you’re doing well.

But if things go bad, he’ll help you a bit and then distance himself, or even watch from afar with a cold eye.

Whether he’ll add to your troubles depends on whether there’s any benefit for him.

If the Lu family isn’t doing well, he naturally won’t value Sister Lu Dajie as he did before.

The brother-in-law and three sons, no matter how friendly they appear, have been educated by Ding Jiachang to be similar in nature.

They ignore the children from the second and third uncles’ families and use the eldest uncle’s family for their own gain.

Ding Jiachang, having no granddaughters, set his sights on marrying off Lu Xiuxiu to the county to improve his grandson’s prospects.

This led to a very unfortunate marriage for Lu Xiuxiu.

Lu Ping and his brother were taken around the county by some cousins who said they could help Lu Ping find work.

Instead, they introduced them to many bad influences.

Lu Ping wanted to find a job and make money, but Lu An, influenced by these bad friends, quickly went astray.

He ended up being used by others and causing trouble for Lu Ping as well.

These problems made Sister Lu Dajie and her husband very worried, leaving them no time to focus on anything else.

Now Lin Shu and Lu Shaotang is fine, and so are Tiantian and Panpan.

Fang Dihua and Old Man Lu are also doing well, and their family life is getting better.

The Ding family is naturally a good match, with Lu Dajie and her husband having a loving and harmonious family.

Lin Shu certainly wouldn’t stir up trouble in their family relations.

The Ding family is different from people like Xu’s mother and Qian’s mother.

Xu’s mother and Qian’s mother treat their daughters-in-law like outsiders, whereas Old Man Ding treats his daughters-in-law as part of the family.

He hopes his daughters-in-law would be even closer to him than to their own parents.

Lu Dajie is his daughter-in-law, the mother of his grandson, and someone he considers family.

He treats Lu Dajie well.

As long as the Lu family is doing well, Lu Dajie will continue to be well-regarded in the Ding family, and the relationship between the Ding and Lu families will remain good.

However, Lin Shu is aware of the original plot and doesn’t want to become too close to the Ding family.

She only wants to maintain a normal familial relationship.

As for having Lu Shaotang get closer to his nephews and possibly take them to the army in the future?

That’s out of the question for her.

In the past, when the Ding family supported the Lu family with grain, it was mostly done through grain tickets provided by her mother-in-law.

During the months Lu Shaotang was “sacrificing,” Ding Jia Chang asked Lu Dajie to send back a few dozen pounds of grain, which was reciprocated with an equivalent gift.

From now on, their interactions will remain at the level of normal familial help, without any sense of owing each other favors.

Fang Dihua had become familiar with Lin Shu and had a mutual understanding.

She knew there was something up from Lin Shu’s tone but didn’t want to ask in front of so many people.

She planned to discuss it later in private.

As evening approached, the day turned darker.

When guests visit in winter, the morning is busy, and lunch can extend until dusk.

Then, the table is generally cleared.

Seeing Old Man Lu going outside to the toilet, Lu Dajie followed him out.

When Old Man Lu came out, she said, “Dad, I need to discuss something with you.”

Old Man Lu glanced at her, “What’s something that can’t be discussed with your mother?”

Eldest Sister Lu Dajie pulled him out for a walk in the alley, “Let’s get some fresh air and digest a bit.”

Once they were outside, Old Man Lu asked, “What’s up?”

Eldest Sister Lu Dajie replied, “You see, Xiuxiu has grown up.”

Old Man Lu asked, “What’s going on? Has someone proposed to her?”

Eldest Sister Lu said, “Well, since Xiuxiu has grown so tall, many people think she’s already eighteen and want to propose.”

Old Man Lu smiled, “There’s no need to rush. She’s still young. It’s better to wait until she’s at least eighteen. These days, late marriages are encouraged. Over twenty is fine too.”

Everyone wants to marry off their daughters as soon as possible but hopes to delay marrying off their daughters.

Eldest Sister Lu Dajie continued, “Dad, do you think… we should consider having Xiuxiu marry Guohua in a couple of years?”

“Ah?” Old Man Lu was stunned. “That won’t do. Are you out of your mind? They’re cousins.”

Eldest Sister Lu Dajie replied, “So what? The closer the kin, the better.”

Old Man Lu said, “Don’t mention this to your mother. She’ll slap you out of the house. Haven’t you paid attention to the public literacy campaign? They’ve always said that close relatives shouldn’t marry.”

Eldest Sister Lu Dajie was dismissive. “Many families have cousins and other relatives marrying each other, and nothing happens. It’s not a big deal.”

Old Man Lu responded, “I’m a doctor, are you one? So many cousin marriages end badly. You only see the rare case where everything seems fine. Have you ever seen the children born with disabilities or illnesses? I could tell you several examples from our county, from various communes, and even the surnames of the couples. If you don’t believe me, go ask around. Their children are either not surviving or are ill. Out of five or six children, only one might seem okay, and even that might have hidden issues.”

He seriously explained several cases where cousin marriages resulted in severe problems, including children with disabilities and other issues.

Eldest Sister Lu Dajie didn’t take it too seriously, but seeing her father’s strong opposition, she decided not to bring it up again.