stingy landlady

Chapter 18 Returning to Mother’s Home

On the morning of the second day of the Lunar New Year, Dazhu heated up steamed buns and meatballs, as well as the leftovers from the previous night. After eating, Dazhu hitched up the cart and prepared to return to Li's parents' home.

Upon arriving at the Li family's door, they heard laughter and chatter from inside. As Dazhu tethered the ox, Li Shi led the children inside with gifts. As soon as she entered, she called out, "Father, Mother! Happy New Year!" "Good, good! Lanxin's back! Happy New Year to you too!" Li Shi's parents were both on the kang (heated brick bed). The old man, being quite frail, leaned against the headboard. The old woman sat there watching her children and grandchildren, her face beaming with joy!

"Happy New Year, Grandma and Grandpa!" Daya and her younger sisters greeted each other in unison, their voices clear and pleasant.

"Happy Chinese New Year! Have a seat! Have some candy!"

"Happy New Year, eldest sister and second sister!" Li greeted her eldest and second sisters.

"Lanxin is back! It's been years since she last came back, hasn't it?" Li's eldest sister asked softly.

“Yes! It’s inconvenient to live far away with a young child,” Li Lanxin replied softly.

"Fourth sister, where's fourth brother-in-law? Didn't he come back with you?" Fifth sister came over to greet them.

"They're back. They're tying up the cows outside!" said Li.

With many siblings, they started greeting each other and introducing their children. Guizhi was small, and there were many people to remember, but by going from family to family, she managed to get to know most of them. However, Guizhi wasn't sure if her older brothers and sisters knew her.

My aunt's family has three older female cousins ​​and one older male cousin, all of whom are already married. This year, only one of my older female cousins, who lives nearby, came to visit.

My second aunt's family has six male cousins ​​and two female cousins; only the two youngest male cousins ​​are not yet married. When the two male cousins ​​arrived, they both went to the west room where the men were.

My third aunt's family has three older female cousins ​​and one older male cousin. Only two of the older female cousins ​​are unmarried. They all came to my maternal grandmother's house to pay New Year's respects.

My maternal uncle's family has two sons and two daughters. My eldest cousin is already married! My eldest son is currently discussing marriage, my second son is about the same age as my eldest daughter, and my youngest cousin is a year older than my eldest daughter.

My fifth aunt's family currently has a son and a daughter. The older boy is about the same age as Er Ya, and the younger girl is a year younger than Gui Zhi. The two siblings are sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed) playing by themselves.

My uncle's family only has one baby girl who is still breastfeeding.

The women chatted animatedly, while the men each had their own topics of conversation. The children only played with familiar family members.

Three tables were set up for the meal: one for the men, one for the women, and one for the children. They ate a lively and cheerful meal. After the meal, just as Li Shi and Da Zhu were about to say goodbye and return home, the eldest uncle spoke up: "Our Xiao Jun is getting married! Everyone has to come back for the celebration!" Everyone offered their congratulations.

Auntie spoke up again: "Our father's health hasn't been very good these past two years, and Da Chun has to take care of everything at home and outside. Xiao Jun's fiancée's family is quite well-off. It's just that the dowry will be ten taels of silver."

The relatives listened to the eldest aunt's explanation.

“Our family isn’t well-off, so as the saying goes, many hands make light work. Sisters and brothers-in-law, please help us out! We have many daughters, and our parents have been cared for by us for many years, and Yinghong and I have done our best to be filial. But our son is getting married, so we need everyone’s help,” the eldest uncle said.

The brothers-in-law all agreed that it was only right. They would give as much as they could afford, and as little as they could not. They believed that only men, as the heads of the household, had a say, while the women just chattered about trivial matters.

This was the time to show off each family's strength. It also represented their status when returning to their maternal home in the future. My aunt's husband's children were all grown up, and although he was getting on in years, he had some savings. Besides, his wife was a second wife who had helped raise three children who were all married, and she had also given him four more children, all of whom were married. My aunt's husband offered to give him one tael of silver.

My second aunt's husband and my third aunt's husband also agreed to each take one tael of silver.

Dazhu and Li Shi went out without any money, and they only had three taels of silver left. They needed capital to start a business after the New Year, and they were also thinking of giving some silver to their fifth brother, Wang Yiyun, who was going to school. They had taught children to read and write before. Dazhu was in a dilemma. One tael of silver was a bit too much; if they hadn't divided the family property, even two hundred coins would have been too much.

Dazhu was still hesitating when his fifth sister's husband spoke up: "Lanling has always thought of our parents, elder brother, and sister-in-law. Xiaojun's wedding is a good thing! We'll give two taels of silver!" He then took a silver ingot from his purse. Both of them earned money and felt it was normal to give some to Lanling's family. They had originally planned to give a few taels of silver to the elders before returning home.

The younger uncle didn't speak, but his wife said, "Brother, sister-in-law! We're also struggling! We've been married for years without children, and we've spent a lot of money on medical treatment and medicine! We finally had this daughter, and now everything costs money. We won't take any grain from the land; we'll just come to the wedding banquet!" This meant they hadn't received any of the family's produce and wouldn't contribute any money. However, they would give a monetary gift for attending the wedding.

Guizhi thought her uncle and aunt were shrewd! They could even get money from her sister-in-law when they went back to their parents' home! Seeing that her own parents hadn't asked, she figured they were short of money. Guizhi thought about it and decided she still had to give them the money, but she genuinely felt it was a waste. Li Shi had been struggling for so many years without anyone helping her; even if her own family had helped, Li Shi wouldn't have to feel so ashamed in her husband's family.

Actually, my maternal grandmother's family was quite well-off. They had three brick houses, divided into east and west rooms, with a spacious outer hall and kitchen in the middle.

Dazhu then helplessly said, "We'll also take one tael of silver! But we don't have it with us. We'll bring it to you tomorrow after we get home."

Everyone could tell he was putting on a show of wealth. The eldest aunt's husband was old and didn't like to meddle. The second aunt's family lived nearby, in the same village, so it was best not to offend anyone. The third aunt's husband was usually quiet as well. The fifth sister's husband, knowing his fourth sister's husband was concerned with appearances, tugged at him: "If you don't have money, just take less! You have your own family to support!"

My uncle and aunt didn't care about any of that: "You two! Who goes out without carrying some money with them? Fine, bring it over early tomorrow morning!"

Dazhu nodded in agreement, stood up, and bid farewell to Li and the others. Li, carrying Siya, walked quickly with her head down. Only after leaving the house did she raise her head; Dazhu's oxcart wasn't even harnessed yet! With tears in her eyes, Li said, "I'll walk slowly ahead and wait for you."

The daughters hurriedly followed. "Mother, what's wrong?" Daya asked softly.

"Mother, is someone bullying you?" Er Ya asked.

Just then, a voice called out from behind: "Fourth Sister! Fourth Sister! Wait a minute!" It was the fifth sister, Lanling, who had come running.

Li wiped her tears with Siya's little clothes. "Fifth Sister, let's go back now!"

"Fourth Sister! You and your husband are so foolish. If you don't have money, you don't have to take so much! Your eldest brother and sister-in-law are just taking advantage of your soft heart. Here's some meat and vegetables from the pot. I'll pack some for you to take back for the children!" Lanling said, looking at her fourth sister with heartache.

He reached into his pocket and took out two strings of copper coins, trying to give them to Li, but she refused. After much arguing, she still wouldn't accept them.

Dazhu drove the oxcart after them, and Lanling put the meat and vegetables on the cart. "Fourth brother-in-law, take these back and heat them up before eating! You've given this money, so don't give any more money! Just come and drink with us later."

Once on the oxcart, Li began to grumble: "Ever since my sister-in-law married into the family, I've done all the work in the fields and on the house by myself! And I still don't earn much! We're always hungry. Your grandmother secretly saves some food for me, and you, my aunt, make a huge fuss! You even lie. Once, her clothes somehow got torn, and she insisted that I ruined them! My brother is easily swayed, and he grabbed a stove hook and started hitting me on the head." Li grumbled angrily.

"They keep telling me to kick them out every other day! The matchmaker came knocking and pressured your grandmother into agreeing! They don't even care if the person is any good or not! It's a good thing your father is honest. His son even asked me for money for his wedding!" Li stopped crying, only anger remained.

"Alright, alright! Don't be angry, it's all in the past! You're doing just fine now! You've given birth to several wonderful daughters!" Dazhu awkwardly comforted him.

"Mom, we'll make lots of money in the future, so they'll have to beg you one day!" Guizhi said with a smile.

Li thought about it for a moment, and the thought of her brother and sister-in-law coming to beg her for forgiveness in the future made her feel better. "Hmph! Begging for my forgiveness won't do any good! I'm not going to pay them any attention!"

Zhao went back to her parents' home, not caring about anything else, since her in-laws wouldn't let her sell boxed lunches anyway. She exaggeratedly said that boxed lunches were very profitable and easy to sell, hoping that her family would sell the food. If they made money, she would feel proud when she went back to her parents' home.

Although Zhao's family was tempted, there were also some shrewd individuals among them. "Sister! The town is so big, who would you sell it to? What if you can't sell it? You've already lost a lot of money!"

"Sister! Where did your brother and niece buy it? How much did they pay? How much did the food boxes cost?"

"Hmph! The bold get rich while the timid starve! The town is so big, why do we have to run into them?" Zhao was unwilling.

"My third son's wife started selling things with her family after the New Year. When our family comes up with a way to make money, we always tell her family first!"

After much discussion, Zhao's sister-in-law made the decision: she and her husband would go and sell the goods, promising that they wouldn't mistreat their elder sister, Zhao, if they made money. Zhao returned home satisfied.

On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, we eat dumplings. By the sixth day, many places have already started working again. Guizhi's family started soaking beans on the third day and sent them to Xiangmanlou on the eighth day.

On the sixth day of the lunar new year, Fifth Uncle Wang Yiyun went to the academy. Dazhu and Guizhi saw him off. Guizhi said that his first teacher wanted to give him a gift. Dazhu wanted to take a tael of silver, but Guizhi stopped him. She meant that they could give him more later when they earned more money. Since Grandpa and Grandma had given him money, they should use it for now. After a while, Grandpa and Grandma wouldn't have much money left, and their own family would be earning some money. This would not only help with the old house's financial difficulties but also show that their family was willing to support Fifth Uncle's studies—a win-win situation.

Dazhu and Li's considerations were reasonable; their family was indeed facing difficulties. They needed to buy soybeans again, and seeds in the spring! Money was running out!

On the eighth day of the lunar new year, while delivering bean sprouts, Dazhu's family also started making boxed lunches, and business was surprisingly good. They earned nine hundred coins a day, and the family was happy and continued to work hard.

But as the saying goes, "Man proposes, God disposes." On the sixteenth, two more boxed lunch vendors suddenly appeared. Moreover, their dishes differed, and competition had begun without anyone noticing. By nearly noon, the shops were all sold out, leaving only half a boxed lunch. Everyone looked at each other, feeling troubled.

"Let's go deliver food to Uncle Wu!" Guizhi suddenly had an idea.

"Alright! So your fifth uncle won't have to spend money to buy more!" Dazhu saw that there were thirty food boxes, and they wouldn't be able to eat them all if they went back. It was better to give them to his own family than to waste them.

When I arrived at the academy gate, it was just after class, and I didn't see Wang Yiyun.

Guizhi opened a box of lunch and a box of dumplings, and hurriedly shouted, "Lunch boxes for sale! Dumplings for sale! Ten coins a serving, delicious and inexpensive!"

Those whose homes were in town, or who had carriages to pick them up, naturally ignored it. But most of them, who lived in the college or rented rooms nearby, came after hearing the commotion.

Seeing that dumplings and rice dishes were only ten coins a serving, many people were tempted! Quite a few spent money, since eating at a small food stall would cost ten to several dozen coins per person, and wouldn't even get this much meat and vegetables.

Da Zhu never expected that things would turn around so unexpectedly; the boxed lunches and dumplings were completely devoured. Some people even asked if he would come again tomorrow, and others complained that he hadn't made enough.

When Wang Yiyun, the fifth son, came out, Daya had already taken down the small stove and was heating up dumplings for him. Wang Yiyun was very touched that his family cared about him and that his brother had come to bring him dumplings. To save him the trouble of buying them, Guizhi quietly told him not to tell his third uncle and aunt. She still wanted to earn some more money to buy more land!

She told Wang Yiyun that she would come over again during this period and that they would work together to overcome any difficulties. In fact, Guizhi knew that even if she didn't say it, Dazhu was the eldest, and his innate sense of responsibility wouldn't allow him to stand idly by.