sjar Chapter 275 Mother Song Lanhua's Preference for Sons Over Daughters
Chapter 275 Mother Song Lanhua's Preference for Sons Over Daughters
"My brother-in-law was still trying to save face and got angry with me, saying that he learned a few words in the army, so how could he be called illiterate? Isn't that ridiculous?"
He was having a good time, but his wife couldn't stand it anymore. She got up, turned around, left the living room, and went inside to tidy up.
Li Ju'an sensed that something was off about the atmosphere, so he quickly stood up and said goodbye to Song Desheng, saying, "Okay, I'll call you next week when we go hiking. Brother, come with me into the mountains and try your luck. If we find anything good, we can make a fortune. It's good to prepare some extra milk powder for the kids too."
"Brothers are always the most considerate, that's all."
After Li Ju'an left, Song Desheng suddenly felt that his wife's mood was not quite right.
He coaxed his wife, saying, "Honey, why are you ignoring me? Say something. How about we go out to eat today and have your favorite knife-cut noodles from the vendor at the market?"
His wife was being stubborn and ignoring him. Song Desheng quickly straightened her noodles and turned her to face him. His wife stood up and walked away.
Song Desheng was getting impatient. He grabbed his wife's hand and shouted, "What's wrong? What did I do to upset you again? Tell me! You're just keeping me guessing. I can't figure it out. Who can read your mind?"
The more he tried to hug her, the more stubborn she became, harder to hold down than a pig during Chinese New Year.
Song Desheng was also furious. He stood up and was about to leave when he suddenly heard his wife crying. He quickly sat back down, but he was also seething with anger, and he couldn't figure out what to do.
He figured that his wife must have been upset by talking about his brother-in-law to Li Ju'an earlier, making her feel embarrassed. Who wouldn't want their family to be talked about with dignity by outsiders, let alone be the subject of jokes and amusement? But he was also annoyed; it was obvious his wife had asked him about the trip to the mountains first, and hadn't given him face in front of his brother.
It's impossible for any couple to not argue or hold grudges.
Song Desheng suddenly remembered that he had asked Li Ju'an what to do if he and his wife quarreled. At that time, Li Ju'an confidently told him, "Husbands and wives don't hold grudges overnight. They quarrel at the head of the bed and make up at the foot of the bed. Just conquer the woman and you're done."
Song Desheng slapped his forehead, feeling a surge of inspiration. How come he hadn't thought of this? Women are meant to be conquered, aren't they? Ha, don't let Li Ju'an's years of being single fool you, he's got a pretty sharp mind.
Thinking this, he grabbed his wife and tried to lie down on the bed. Hey, that immediately made her jump up. The more he pressed her down, the more she struggled and cursed; she was harder to hold down than a pig during Chinese New Year. He tried to recall how he used to hold down pigs as a child, but in the end, his wife kicked him a few times, giving him a good, solid stomp, before finally calming him down.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Song Desheng buried his face in his hands, seething with frustration. He cursed Li Ju'an inwardly, thinking he was unreliable: "Don't believe him! Li Ju'an isn't even married yet, how could he believe his nonsense? He's just all talk and no action."
The young couple was giving each other the silent treatment, neither speaking to the other, both sulking. Each was seething with anger, neither willing to back down first. Quite some time had passed; it was almost lunchtime.
Suddenly, his wife asked, "Shall we go out to eat?"
Song Desheng immediately jumped up excitedly and shouted, "Alright, let's go!"
When he told Li Ju'an about it later, Li Ju'an laughed at him for a long time, mocking him for being spineless and a coward. Song Desheng laughed and scolded him: "What do you know? This is called the way of husband and wife. They've already offered you a way out, why don't you take it? When there's no way out, I won't be able to get out of it."
……
Li Ju'an went to the city and bought three major items, but he still hadn't bought a wall clock. He already had a television and a bicycle. He gave these to the Lin family as betrothal gifts, so he needed to buy more to put in his home. In addition, he had recently spent money on building a new house, starting a bee farm, and purchasing fruit seedlings. All of this had reduced his earnings considerably.
They say a man's courage comes from his money, so he figured he should take advantage of the spring to go into the mountains a few more times and set some traps. After learning to drive at the forest farm's motorcade, he became familiar with several foremen at the logging camps and the loading drivers. He could usually exchange money and cigarettes for oil ropes and steel cables without having to rely on Assistant Chen's connections anymore.
He realized that Assistant Chen had really ripped him off last time. He could buy a nearly new steel wire rope, a bundle of 7 or 8 meters long, for only 5 yuan from the yard. Last time, he spent 25 yuan and two packs of cigarettes from Assistant Chen to get a 5-meter-long steel wire rope.
He couldn't help but sigh inwardly, no wonder everyone likes to climb to higher positions; whatever they're in, they can easily make a profit by reselling it. They profit from the price difference, from the asymmetry of resources and information.
Lin's mother and her mother, Song Lanhua, agreed on a time to meet next. They had a good relationship and had already gone into the mountains together.
The best time to harvest mountain products is from late spring to early summer, specifically from late April to early May, when there are plenty of mountain goods in the Xingan Mountains.
Treasures are everywhere—in the wilderness, by the fields, along the ditches and roadsides. There are too many to count.
Song Lanhua, carrying a bamboo basket, went into the mountains with Lin's mother, Aunt Zhang, and Sun's mother, all carrying bamboo baskets and carrying hampers. Along the mountain path, they encountered wild strawberries and wild bamboo shoots; May is their peak season. Bamboo shoots were still growing after the rain.
In spring, the main purpose of hiking in the mountains is to pick wild vegetables, such as sesame seeds, duck's beak leaves, four-leaf clover, and bracken. The key is to go early. If you go too late, the vegetables will have already been picked by others, and they will be too old to sell for a good price, and they won't taste as tender.
So, my mother, Song Lanhua, would go into the mountains early, around four o'clock, with her sisters and aunts from the village. At noon, they would drink some mountain water and eat some dry food by the ditch and pond. In the evening, they would descend the mountain with their sisters and aunts, laughing and talking, and return to their self-built house in Changchonggou.
That day, Song Lanhua, Li Ju'an's mother, brought a large quantity of wild vegetables and said with a smile, "They're so delicious to make dumplings, and they sell really well. Your Aunt Lin said she knows a restaurant in the county town, and the owner of that restaurant often buys wild vegetables. Wild vegetables are so tasty!"
After a while, Li Xiao found it very interesting and kept pestering his mother, begging to go into the mountains with her.
When her mother, Song Lanhua, scolded her and refused to take her into the mountains, she said, "The mountains are not a place for children to play. There are many dangers. If you get bitten by grasshoppers, those things are very poisonous, and being bitten is no joke."
Li Xiao pouted, still a little unhappy. She muttered, "Mom just doesn't mind letting my brother go hunting in the mountains. My brother said he could go into the mountains anytime when we were kids, but Mom just won't let me."
What can a child understand? Yet, she understands quite a lot. Song Lanhua favors Li Ju'an, and Li Xiao isn't unaware of this, but she always feels that her brother is the breadwinner, and it's only right that her mother takes care of him. Being a child and timid, she could only helplessly give up after her mother's words.
Li Ju'an noticed Li Xiao's distress. The little girl was quite sensitive and sometimes liked to play with boys, acting like one. She was resilient and hoped her mother would pay more attention to her. All of this made Li Ju'an feel very sorry for her.
Li Ju'an hugged his younger sister, Li Xiao, and helped her sit down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed). He said earnestly to Li Xiao, "Sister, Mom means well. There are many wild boars in the mountains. Think about it, wild boars give birth in the spring, right? And aren't sows particularly aggressive? If you're not careful and catch up with them, the sow might attack you, and you'd get a sore bottom!"
Li Xiao, the younger sister, blinked her big, bright eyes, which were beautiful and watery. With an innocent look, she asked, "Brother, really? Wild boars really do make my butt bleed? Then why do you go into the mountains to hunt wild boars every day?"
While holding a bag of wild vegetable dumplings, Song Lanhua, the mother, said, "Li Xiao, don't cause trouble for your brother. He's been very busy lately and doesn't have time to take you to the mountains. Just play in the nearby village and focus on your homework and studies."
Li Xiao pouted, still unhappy. Li Ju'an smiled and said, "Mom, it's okay. Our Xiao wants to go into the mountains, so let her go. With me here, what are you afraid of? Come on, I'll take you into the mountains tomorrow, let's go for a scavenging trip."
Li Xiao's eyes lit up with surprise and joy. She hugged his neck excitedly and exclaimed, "Really, brother? You're so great! The best brother in the world!"