Outside the police station, the two of them hurried back. As soon as they entered Zhangshan Village, they saw Old Mrs. Tian waiting under the tree at the village entrance.
Tian Jing shook the household registration book in her hand, "Everyone, take a good look. This is the Tian family's household registration book. I handed it over to Old Mrs. Tian with my own hands."
"From now on, if the Tian family can't find their household registration book, don't blame me. I intended to deliver it back to the Tian family myself, but Old Mrs. Tian was worried and waited here."
Quite a few women at the village entrance were basking in the sun and sewing shoe soles. They were already interested in the Tian family's affairs. When Old Mrs. Tian arrived, she ignored their questions. So, she was waiting for her household registration book?
Upon hearing Tian Jing's words, someone immediately asked, "Are you Tian Jing? You're much prettier than Tian Ping."
"Exactly. You don't look like a member of the Tian family. The Tian family all have square faces. Did you get thin from starvation? How pitiful."
"Who is this man next to you? I heard you got married. Is this your husband?"
"Don't talk nonsense. Tian Ping, although she found a divorced man, he's from a wealthy family. Tian Jing is so pretty, if she didn't find someone rich, she should at least find someone healthy."
"I'm not talking nonsense. Listen to me, there must be something fishy going on. The sisters got married on the same day. One brought back a divorced man and gave us candy, and the other just returned today and didn't even stay for a meal. It's strange if there's nothing fishy."
Old Mrs. Tian's face turned very ugly. She reached out to snatch the household registration book from Tian Jing's hand.
Tian Jing raised her hand and stepped back a few paces. "Don't be in such a hurry. I'm inviting everyone to be a witness. Let everyone see with their own eyes that I've returned the household registration book to you."
"In case you're old and forgetful, and misplace it somewhere and then ask me for compensation. I spent fifty yuan to borrow the household registration book to transfer the household registration."
Fifty yuan?
The women stopped their previous gossip and busied themselves with asking Tian Jing.
"What? You have to pay a lot to use your family's household registration? That's enough to get married to a wife."
Old Mrs. Tian was even more eager to get the household registration book.
Tian Jing switched the household registration book between her left and right hands, not letting her snatch it. "Aunties and sisters, the Tian family is very rich. If any of you have suitable candidates, hurry up and take this opportunity. Don't fall behind. You might even be able to raise the betrothal gifts."
Having said what she needed to say, Tian Jing then gave the household registration book to Old Mrs. Tian. "Everyone saw it, the household registration book has been returned to Old Mrs. Tian."
Then, she ignored the women's questions and turned to leave the village with Li Zhengguo.
The women looked towards the outside of the village, then at Old Mrs. Tian running towards the village. There must be something fishy going on.
Did the Tian family marry Tian Jing to such a lame and old man just for money?
If it was for money, then how much betrothal gift did Tian Ping receive? Tian Ping's husband was very rich, while this Tian Jing and the Tian family seemed like enemies.
Li Min lay on the kang all day, her body restless as if she had fleas, tossing and turning, sitting up and lying down.
Li's mother lost her temper. She slowly moved the cool bed outside to bask in the sun. When the sun set, her son and daughter-in-law still hadn't returned, and she started to worry.
She collected the quilt from the cool bed and Li's mother went into the kitchen to cook.
She had prepared dough at noon. Tiantian had said last night that they would eat noodles tonight, but she thought that her son and daughter-in-law had to travel sixty or seventy li, which was tiring enough. They could eat noodles tomorrow.
So she prepared some dough, planning to steam buns. Buns were also a noodle dish that her son liked. She couldn't bear to use pure white flour, so she mixed it with black flour and corn flour.
Moreover, the dough for the buns was soft, while the dough for noodles was hard. She had to act within her means.
She dissolved alkali water and was kneading the fermented dough when she heard her son and daughter-in-law return. Her hands were still sticky with dough, so she walked out of the kitchen door. "How did it go?"
"It's done. Eighty yuan. Your son negotiated it."
Seeing her mother-in-law's hands sticky with dough, Tian Jing thought she was kneading dough for noodles, so she asked Li Zhengguo to help in the kitchen.
He entered the kitchen and saw it was mixed grain fermented dough. "Mother-in-law, are you planning to steam buns?"
"Yes, I can't make noodles." Li's mother returned to the chopping board and continued to knead the alkali water. She had been anxious earlier and hadn't fully kneaded the alkali water before running out to talk. She wondered if she could still knead it evenly.
Alas! Her daughter had caused her to become flustered too.
"Then what dish will we have?"
"Pickles."
Steamed buns, pickles, and congee?
The sweet potato pieces already cut in the stove pot. It goes without saying that this would be a one-pot meal of sweet potato congee and steamed buns.
"Mother-in-law, where is the key to the west room?"
"It's on the head of the east room kang."
Tian Jing then entered the east room. Li Min in the east room was so anxious that she almost wanted to get off the kang. "What did they say?"
"Ask your elder brother."
Tian Jing took the key and went to unlock the west room door. It was still visible inside. She was in a hurry to get out some brown sugar. She wanted to eat sugar-filled steamed dumplings.
"What's wrong?" Li Min looked at her elder brother who came in behind her. "Is sister-in-law angry?"
"What nonsense are you talking about? Your sister-in-law prepared this much just to ensure your engagement could be broken off."
Looking at the three fingers his elder brother held up, Li Min became anxious. "Did it really cost that much?"
"How could it? It only cost eighty yuan. However, Old Man Tian was not willing to give up. Your sister-in-law was extorted fifty yuan again for the household registration book to transfer the household registration. Now the family still has nearly two hundred yuan left."
"From now on, don't pester your sister-in-law about money, and don't make wild guesses about her. She was in a hurry to get things from the west room. Mother is having steamed buns, pickles, and congee for us. Sister-in-law must want a change of taste."
Li Min looked at her elder brother and sighed. "Brother, I understand now. As long as it's for sister-in-law, you become very long-winded."
"I don't care about you."
Li Zhengguo turned and left the east room in a very good mood. He was going to put away the household registration book. Tiantian was his wife, and it was written on the household registration book.
Leaving Li Min stunned, was the person with a grin from ear to ear just now her elder brother?
Tian Jing wanted to make sugar-filled steamed dumplings. Li's mother had no objections, but making only one with so much filling, wouldn't it be too sweet?
"Tiantian, mix some flour with the brown sugar, otherwise it will be too sweet." Li's mother couldn't bring herself to tell Tian Jing to use less sugar, so she could only say this.
"Okay." Tian Jing poured the brown sugar into a bowl, then went to the west room and brought back about a quarter of white flour mixed with sugar.
Li's mother looked at the filling, which had not changed much, and said nothing more. She made two with less sugar herself. "I don't like things too sweet."
Tian Jing had no objections and sped up her work.
Li Zhengguo had already consciously sat by the stove.
When they ate the sweet sugar-filled steamed dumplings, Li Zhengguo and Li Min's eyes squinted. Delicious, so sweet.
Li's mother ate her two buns, which were only slightly sweet, and was also happy. Life was getting sweeter and sweeter.
After eating three sugar-filled steamed dumplings in one go, Li Min drank her congee. "The congee isn't sweet."
Obviously, could sweet potatoes be as sweet as brown sugar?
No one paid attention to her. She continued to eat the sugar-filled steamed dumplings with the not-so-sweet sweet potato congee. After eating her fill, she asked about the process of her elder brother and sister-in-law's trip to the Tian family today.
Li Zhengguo went to wash the dishes and boil water. Tian Jing patted her belly, feeling very full. She didn't want to talk, but there was a mother and daughter opposite her looking at her expectantly.