Li Zhengguo was told everything by Sister-in-law Niu when he arrived.
Li Zhengguo nodded, "Let's forget about it today. Starting next time, if you don't have extra work points, don't buy it. I plan to ask the team to return my work points."
Those with few work points or who owed work points rushed home to get money. This was their only chance to buy meat, and they wanted to buy more to save for the New Year.
Then, the villagers discovered that starting from the second day, Li Zhengguo would carry wild pheasants and rabbits to the team office every day to deduct work points.
The pheasants were alive, with their wings clipped and kept. The rabbits were dead, skinned and treated.
Damn it!
Who wouldn't want rabbit fur to make knee pads or vests for the elderly?
Li Min was so excited, tears welling up, with a courtyard full of rabbit pelts. Last year, her elder brother secretly tanned them, and her sister-in-law quietly went up the mountain to bake them.
Today, her family displayed them openly, and no one dared to say a word. The change here was due to her sister-in-law's countless efforts.
She had to treat her sister-in-law better and better. Her unintentional jealousy on her return visit was simply ungrateful.
Jealous people were causing trouble again.
Li Min was very annoyed, "Zhang Fangcao, you've gotten as fat as a pig. Just stay in your pigsty and nurse your piglets. What are you doing here?"
Zhang Fangcao's face, squeezed into folds by fat, struggled to move apart, "Minmin, your family is clearly showing off their wealth."
"Oh, go and report us."
"The work points you deducted are also incorrect. These rabbit skins are entirely a second income, so they should be deducted double."
"Oh, go find Captain Ou. My family has plenty of work points, so we can deduct them however we want."
"Your family..."
"Wait," Li Min said impatiently, "Zhang Fangcao, do you know how ugly you look right now? Looking at you makes me want to vomit. Please hurry up and leave immediately, go to the team office or the commune, just leave quickly."
Before Zhang Fangcao could answer, Li Min slammed the courtyard gate shut with a bang.
What a joke! The rabbit skins her family had were considered a sideline. Villagers who wanted to buy them weren't even sold to. They were to be sent to the supply and marketing cooperative.
This fat pig actually coveted them. What would she look like wearing a leather coat? If it were made with the fur facing outward?
Li Min shivered. Just the thought was unbearable. How did Lin Silai tolerate this person?
...
At this moment, Lin Silai was whispering something to his father.
Lin Guangde listened and nodded, "Don't worry about it. Keep comforting her and wait for instructions. Don't worry, your father sees all your efforts. After Wulai gets married, I'll immediately divide the property. This house is yours."
"Thank you, Father. But, Father, I don't want my younger brother to have any grudges. When we divide it, let's split it into three equal parts. You take one part. You can use your share as dowry for your sisters and daughters, or keep it for yourself."
"Our family has finally managed to change our image. I don't want our descendants to struggle like we did. Your old-age care will fall on me."
"Good, good!" Lin Guangde was gratified. "Father didn't misjudge you. Your foresight is remarkable. In the future, our village will no longer be as difficult as before."
"You'll see, soon those bachelors will be marrying wives into our families. Kufang Mountain will no longer be a place where girls are unwilling to marry, but a village where they'll be fighting to get married into."
"Mmm, with a wise person here, and with this year's and next year's harvest, it will definitely be different."
The loud sound of Zhang Fangcao returning, her footsteps heavy, made Lin Silai quickly turn to comfort her.
Zhang Fangcao told her husband to report the Li family to the commune.
Lin Silai agreed, promising to go tomorrow.
Zhang Fangcao smiled happily. Her face, which had finally opened up, was again scrunched into a ball.
Lin Silai endured the nausea and led her back to the room, continuing to give her the malted milk that his father had "spiced up."
...
After Li Zhengguo heard what his sister had said, he took down the rabbit pelts frozen solid in the yard and sent them all to the team office.
Didn't the team office say they would uniformly purchase side products and send them to the commune? Since his family couldn't keep up with vermicelli production, they would use this as a sideline.
Lin Guangde soon found out, and Lin Silai naturally did too. He told Zhang Fangcao not to go and report them anymore.
Zhang Fangcao pouted, "It's a good thing they reacted quickly, otherwise..."
"Fangcao."
"Huh?"
"Why do you always focus on the Li family?"
Zhang Fangcao's face immediately became expressive. Lin Silai carefully discerned that it was a look of grievance. "What's wrong? Why are you feeling wronged?"
"Silai, actually, actually, the child is Li Zhengguo's. I, Li Zhengguo, forced me with force, but I was scared and didn't dare to say anything. And Tian Jing's martial arts are even higher, so I didn't dare to say anything either."
Lin Silai gently comforted his wife, "Don't be afraid. No matter who the child's father is, he is my biological son."
"Silai, you're so good."
Zhang Fangcao snuggled into Lin Silai's arms.
Lin Silai hugged her gently with both hands, but his eyes turned cold. After seeing the child's appearance, his father guessed that Li Zhengguo would be the scapegoat. It turned out to be as his father had predicted.
Who was Zhang Fangcao's lover? Someone who looked like Li Zhengguo could only be from Uncle Li's or Second Uncle Li's families. Excluding Li Rongguo, the other three were all possibilities.
If this fat pig hadn't wanted to play dumb and couldn't go tracking, he would have known long ago who it was. It felt terrible to be kept in the dark.
...
On the second day of the twelfth lunar month, after breakfast, Tian Jing felt a pulling pain in her lower abdomen. "Mother, my stomach feels heavy and painful."
"Oh my! My dear grandchild is about to be born!"
Mother Li immediately dropped what she was doing and washed her hands with soap. "Minmin, go call Sister-in-law Niu. Zhengguo, go prepare things on the bed. Let Tiantian give birth on the bed, and then move to the heated kang after she's finished."
"Okay, I'll go right away," Li Min ran out of the courtyard.
"Oh, okay."
Li Zhengguo was a little flustered. "Tiantian, shall I help you inside?"
"Not yet. Hurry and go."
Tiantian pushed his hand away. "I still want to walk around."
Mother Li nodded, "Yes, yes. I'll watch Tiantian. You go prepare."
Li Zhengguo didn't understand these things. Although he had asked, and his mother had told him, when the time came, he was at a loss and could only follow his mother's advice. Sudan Novel Network.
Sister-in-law Niu was dragged over by Li Min. As soon as she entered the Li family courtyard, she was pulled into the bathroom and washed her hands over and over again.
Then she was dragged into the west room.
Li Min was very satisfied with her seamless execution.
Sister-in-law Niu patted her chest, "She hasn't even gotten into bed yet! You've rushed me so much that I haven't finished my meal."
Li Min leaned over, "Meal? Is Sister-in-law Niu hungry? I'll go boil you some sweet egg soup."
"I'm not hungry. Is your sister-in-law hungry?"
Tiantian shook her head, "I just finished eating."
Sister-in-law Niu nodded, "That's good. When you have the strength to give birth, I see you can still walk, so walk more. When you're in so much pain that you want to squat on the ground, then get into bed."
With Sister-in-law Niu present, Mother Li relaxed, and her composure returned. "Yes, yes. I was anxious. I almost told her to get into bed."
Sister-in-law Niu smiled, "Aunt Li is eager to hold her grandson."
"Yes, I am a bit anxious. I've been waiting for several months."
"That's true. Looking at Tiantian's belly every day, how could you not be anxious?"