She also brought two pounds of salted meat from home for Lin’s mother.

Earlier, when Lin’s father handed over the items, Lin’s mother initially refused to accept them.

However, Fang Dihua firmly stuffed them into her bag, saying, “We still have five pounds left at home.”

The five pounds of meat coupons awarded by the Public Security Bureau had been used by Old Lu to buy meat, which was now being cured and hung over the stove.

It would be ready just in time for the autumn harvest, adding a nice dish to the family’s meals.

Lin’s mother, holding Fang Dihua’s hand, expressed her gratitude, saying, “Sister, you really get to know someone’s character through interaction. From now on, we’re good sisters.”

Fang Dihua replied, “Of course we are. I accept you as my little sister. Now, you should hurry home.”

Lin Yue told Lin Shu that after the autumn harvest, they would have to deal with the Sun family during the winter.

They couldn’t let the Sun family get away with their mischief.

Lin Yue, in particular, was adamant about making Sun Er pay for his wrongdoings.

Lin Shu noticed a hint of ruthlessness in Lin Yue’s eyes, a stark contrast to his previously naive and innocent demeanor.

It was clear that Lin Yue, driven by anger, had finally awakened the buried toughness within him.

It seemed that his time studying in the city hadn’t been wasted; in addition to learning how to drive and repair tractors, he had also made some friends.

Lin Shu thought this was quite good.

Eldest sister-in-law Lu Da had become more outgoing, speaking loudly and laughing heartily, which startled even the old Chang family living behind them.

During her recent training, Sister-in-law Lu Da had once again earned first place, receiving a certificate of merit, two “Double Happiness” basins, a “Double Happiness” tea mug, and a pair of yellow-green high-waisted rubber boots.

To show her affection for her husband, she generously gave the rubber boots to Elder brother Lu Dage, saying, “You work hard in the fields, so these are for you. I drive tractors, so I don’t need them.”

Lu Dage was overjoyed and proud, thinking his wife was truly wonderful, even better than his own mother, who only criticized him.

Lu Da’s gave one “Double Happiness” basin to Lin Shu and kept one for herself.

The “Double Happiness” tea mug was given to her mother-in-law.

Fang Dihua blushed, saying, “You should keep it for yourself!”

But Lu Da insisted on giving it to Lin Shu since Lin Shu had given away two of her previous rewards: one to Old Lu and the other she took with her for training.

So, this time, she gave her reward to Lin Shu.

Lin Shu accepted the basin and tea mug without hesitation.

She had had enough of using a clay basin for washing, and now she could repurpose the old chipped basin for foot baths.

Seeing that Lu Da gave Lin Shu things but nothing to her, Lu Er was both envious and jealous, unable to muster a smile.

However, it wasn’t really Lu Da’s fault for not being more generous.

After all, she reciprocated to those who had given her something, and Lu Er had never given her anything.

Whenever everyone returned from visiting their parents’ homes, they would usually bring back something, and then share a little with everyone.

But Lu Er never did this, which only added to her frustration and jealousy.

It was said that there was nothing to return from the maternal family, only sharing with the eldest sister-in-law and Lin Shu.

One time, when Sister-in-law Lu Da went to deliver some fried peanuts from her maternal family to Sister-in-law Lu Er, she saw that Lu Er was hurriedly hiding something under the quilt.

Sister-in-law Lu Da had sharp eyes and noticed that Lu Er was hiding a steamed bun, with remnants of it still on her mouth.

Sister-in-law Lu Da was not the type to shy away from things.

She couldn’t just pretend not to see.

She went straight over and pulled the bun out from under the quilt, saying, “What are you hiding under the quilt, Second Sister-in-law?”

As you can imagine, the bun was steamed and full of juice, so hiding it under the quilt would definitely make it damp.

Sister-in-law Lu gave Lu Er a good-natured ribbing, “How can you, at your age, hide food under the quilt like a child?”

After that, Sister-in-law Lu stopped giving things to Lu Er. If you don’t have what I have, it’s fine, but if you have something and don’t give it to me, then I won’t give you anything either.

That evening, Lin Shu washed her face thoroughly with the basin given by Sister-in-law Lu and applied homemade loofah water to her face and feet.

Tiantian and Pangpang found it amusing and giggled while applying it themselves.

Lin Shu put cucumber slices on them, but as she was putting them on, the two kids started peeling them off to eat.

In the next room, Fang Dihua and Old Man Lu listened and felt very pleased.

Old Man Lu had finally moved back from the dog’s bed to sleep with his wife, and his contentment was doubled.

He lay on the kang with his hands under his head, legs crossed, enjoying the comfortable position.

“Flower, when do you think our third son will come back? During the day or at night?”

Fang Dihua laughed and said, “Who knows? That kid always likes to surprise you.”

At that moment, a surprised exclamation came from the east side, full of joy.

Old Man Lu grumbled in disgust, “That damned thing, eating alone.”

Fang Dihua said, “That scoundrel, eating all by himself.”

Sure enough, after everyone returned to their rooms and the two sons were asleep, Sister-in-law Lu secretly took out a tightly wrapped package of braised pig’s trotters and handed it to Brother Lu.

Brother Lu was instantly thrilled, and he fell on his wife and the pig’s trotters with joy.

With the start of the autumn harvest, everyone became busy. Schools were on break, and both students and teachers participated in the production team’s labor.

Children aged seven or eight followed to pick grain heads or bean pods in the fields. Some families, eager to earn every bit of labor credit, even sent six-year-olds to pick bean pods, cotton, or cut grass.

Now, they also needed to store and dry green grass to feed livestock during the winter.

Pangpang and Tiantian didn’t need to go out to the fields; they just needed to eat well, have fun, and take care of themselves.

Children don’t need an adult watching over them constantly; if they can manage on their own, that’s already quite impressive.

Moreover, they were also understanding. Besides taking care of themselves, they helped Lin Shu with the vegetable garden by weeding, catching pests, picking vegetables, and composting.

Lin Shu’s vegetable garden started late, so it was still lush and growing well. There was so much produce that she couldn’t finish it all, and she carefully distributed it to good families.

She varied the dishes every day and made oil-splashed spicy dishes, adding a spoonful of it to stews and hot dishes to make everything spicy, fragrant, and appetizing.

The meat dishes were either salted pork stewed with radish or salted pork steamed with green beans, making them wonderfully fragrant and salty. Her family loved it so much that they could eat it five times a day.

To pressure (or rather, threaten) Xu’s mother, Lin Shu occasionally sent vegetables to the Xu family.

The Xu family’s yard was small, with only a single vegetable patch, which was not enough to feed them.

Now, Xu Xiaoyou cooked for the Xu family, learning various stews and steamed dishes from Lin Shu. They also used some oil-splashed chili oil, making the food hot and appetizing.

Lin Shu didn’t just go alone; she also sent Fang Dihua to apply pressure on Xu’s mother and Xu Shihua.

At least she wanted Xu’s mother not to mistreat Lu Hehuan and Xu Xiaoyou.

During the tough autumn harvest, it was essential to ensure Lu Hehuan and Xu Xiaoyou were well-fed. If they lost weight, it would be due to Xu Shihua’s stinginess!

Xu’s mother was so angry that her eyes rolled, but she had no choice. Even though she didn’t give her daughter-in-law and granddaughter white steamed buns, she made sure they had cornmeal cakes to fill their stomachs.

Lin Shu was relieved to see that neither Lu Hehuan nor Xu Xiaoyou had lost weight.

Lu Hehuan returned once and quietly gave Lin Shu a dollar, which was a supplement from her wages.

Xu Xiaoyou also came a couple of times when her grandmother was out with her brother, secretly bringing sugar-coated peanuts for Tiantian and Pangpang.

These peanuts were brought back by Xu Shihua; she didn’t know if they were from the workplace or given by someone else.

Xu Xiaoyou had saved two handfuls and brought them to the kids when she had the chance.

Lin Shu told her to eat the treats herself and not to bring them, but Xu Xiaoyou insisted, saying that since Tiantian and Pangpang were good to her, she wanted to be good to them as well.

Pangpang then returned the favor with two pieces of candy.

Lin Shu also asked Xu Xiaoyou if Xu’s mother had been hitting her or anything.

Xu Xiaoyou quietly told her, “Aunt, the advice from Tiantian and Pangpang is really effective. When my grandmother hits me, I break a dish and then run to the front door, crying and shouting, ‘I cook every day, feed the pigs, and sweep the yard, and you only give me a cornmeal cake the size of donkey dung, I’m going to starve to death, who will work for you?’ When I shout like this, the neighbors come to persuade her to treat me better. I just follow Aunt’s example, changing up the meals to make sure both my mother and I are full.”

Lin Shu was very pleased. Xiaoyou learned quickly and was smarter than Lu Hehuan.

While Lu Hehuan would protect his stepdaughter by sending her back to her maternal family, grandstanding on others’ behalf, Xu Xiaoyou could use her own methods to protect herself and her stepmother.

Lu Hehuan, living less wisely than a child.