Yesterday's starch was prepared, and today there was fresh food. Naturally, it had to be tasted. Grandma Niu first picked up a chopstickful. It was slippery and not easy to grasp.
Taking a bite, she chewed twice. The aroma, the meaty flavor, and the elasticity made her unable to resist picking up a second chopstickful.
The Niu family members all stared at her. Grandma Niu smiled awkwardly, "You all eat too. What are you looking at me for?"
One chopstickful per person and it was gone. Da Niu, the eldest son of the Niu family's eldest daughter-in-law, picked up the bowl and drank the remaining soup.
Younger Sister-in-law Niu was displeased that the Li family was not generous enough, as their offering of food was barely enough to fill the gaps between their teeth.
Grandma Niu slammed her chopsticks on the table, "Was it given for you to eat? The Li family sent it for the eldest daughter-in-law to taste. If you didn't eat it, your eldest sister-in-law could have eaten it all herself."
"Second daughter-in-law, when your relatives and friends send things, do they feed everyone in our family? Is it not generous if you don't eat enough?"
"You shallow-minded thing. From now on, you are not allowed to touch anything your eldest sister-in-law receives."
"If I can't touch it, I can't touch it! Your eldest sister-in-law's family is also not allowed to eat our things." Younger Sister-in-law Niu became angry. Why did her mother-in-law always side with her eldest daughter-in-law?
"Do you think anyone craves your few pumpkins? Every year, the vegetable seeds for the family are given by your eldest sister-in-law's family, and they are also planted by your eldest sister-in-law. You shouldn't eat them either."
Grandma Niu disdainfully glanced at her younger daughter-in-law. Her maiden family sent a few medium-sized pumpkins, and she boasted all over the village as if those few pumpkins could feed her Niu family for one or two years.
"If I don't eat, I don't eat! Mother, are you going to say that whoever cooks eats? Then why don't we just split up the family?"
Younger Sister-in-law Niu looked at her mother-in-law with teary eyes, calling her an unfair old woman.
"Fine, we'll split if you want. Those who don't split are cowards. Youngest, go to your father-in-law's house and call them. Eldest, you go to your father-in-law's house and call them too. Today, I must split this family, otherwise, no one will know who the mother-in-law is and who the daughter-in-law is."
Grandma Niu finally saw through it. Her belly was only four months along, and she was already causing so much trouble. How would the following days be?
Li Min didn't know that a bowl of starch noodles had caused the Niu family to quarrel. When the eldest daughter-in-law Niu called her to dig kudzu roots, she learned about it while chatting at the foot of the mountain. "What happened later?"
"Later?" The eldest daughter-in-law Niu sneered, "Later, the youngest backed down. The youngest is smart; he knows that the family relies on me and his elder brother to support it. If the family were really split, how could his single work contribution feed his wife and child?"
"Did you let her off so easily?"
Li Min was unhappy. Her food was given to the eldest daughter-in-law Niu, who hadn't eaten much, and she even got blamed along with her own family. "Sister-in-law Niu, next time I have food, I'll ask you to come to my house to eat."
"Hahaha." The eldest daughter-in-law Niu laughed, "How many more days can you stay at home?"
Li Min leaned closer to the eldest daughter-in-law Niu, "Do you think the relationship between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law is difficult to manage? What about sister-in-law and sister-in-law relationships?"
"Alas~" The eldest daughter-in-law Niu sighed, "It's always been like this since ancient times. How can the upper teeth not bump into the lower teeth? Look at my family; my mother-in-law is quite reasonable. If I say a few nice words to coax her, she will speak on my behalf, right?"
"But once she faces her sons and grandsons, I am nothing. I am better than my younger sister-in-law. Compared to the two of us, she naturally favors me."
"I put in more effort than the youngest, but if she has to choose between the youngest and me, she will definitely choose the youngest."
"As soon as the youngest backed down and admitted he was a coward, she agreed not to split the family. However, because the younger sister-in-law was too disrespectful to her and dared to argue with her, she asked the youngest to send her back to her maiden home."
"Is sending her back to her maiden home a punishment?" Li Min thought Grandma Niu was getting senile.
"Hahaha." The eldest daughter-in-law Niu saw her expression and understood that she didn't grasp the subtlety here.
"Women! Once married, returning to their maiden home makes them mere guests. How can guests stay for a long time? There are sisters-in-law in the maiden home too. Wouldn't the sister-in-law look down on her?"
"If she didn't treat her sister-in-law well when she was a sister-in-law, then when she returns to her maiden home, she will surely be met with a cold reception from her sister-in-law."
"It's so troublesome. Isn't it best for women not to get married?" Li Min worried that after she got married, her maiden home would no longer be her home.
"Impossible." The eldest daughter-in-law Niu lowered her head to dig kudzu roots, not seeing Li Min's expression. "If a woman doesn't get married, besides your family being willing to accept you, you also have to face others' gossip. Your maiden home will also be talked about."
"Then, is it better to marry closer to your maiden home?" Li Min recalled that her eldest sister-in-law had said that if she wanted to marry into the Kushan Mountains, she would bring her along for any good things in the future.
"That's not necessarily true either. It depends on how well you get along with your sister-in-law at your maiden home. Be careful not to cause trouble at your maiden home. Like that Zhang Fangcao, she always provokes her sister-in-law in front of her mother. Isn't it because her sister-in-law retaliated against her mother, and her mother pushed her away in anger?"
The eldest daughter-in-law Niu spoke while working, her hands not slowing down. In a moment, she had dug up a small pile of kudzu roots.
"Alas~" Li Min sighed deeply.
The eldest daughter-in-law Niu looked up in surprise, "What's wrong? We are talking about other families, of course, including mine. But I see that your eldest sister-in-law treats you well, taking care of you everywhere, and genuinely treating you like a sister, worried that you will be bullied in your in-laws' home."
"It's precisely because she's too good, so good that I'm reluctant to leave." Li Min said with half truth and half jest.
"Hehe." The eldest daughter-in-law Niu leaned closer and whispered, "The Tian family let her come first. If you don't go, the Tian family won't dare to say anything, after all, exchanging spouses is illegal. Marriage freedom is emphasized now."
Li Min frowned. Her spouse exchange was her own arrangement. It was too free, wasn't it? The one who wasn't free was her eldest sister-in-law, who had been exchanged for her.
However, her eldest sister-in-law had also thanked her, saying she had escaped the fiery pit of the Tian family and liked the simplicity of her own family.
The eldest daughter-in-law Niu watched Li Min's expression change back and forth, then patted her shoulder, "You know, you should think carefully. A woman getting married is like a second rebirth."
"You can't choose the first time, but you must open your eyes wide for the second time. The Tian family exchanged such a young Tian Jing. In my opinion, the Tian family is not a good place to go. By the way, how old is Tian Jing?"
"Eighteen, the same age as me, two months younger." Li Min felt a little guilty.
"Eighteen years old? I thought she was only fifteen or sixteen. The Tian family has mistreated Tian Jing, no wonder she didn't tell the Tian family when she learned the skill?"
"How do you know?"
Li Min was curious. She didn't think her eldest sister-in-law would discuss this matter with Grandma Niu.
"I can see it," the eldest daughter-in-law Niu said proudly. "She can talk, but her practical skills are poor, indicating she hasn't done it before. If she told the Tian family about her skills, wouldn't the Tian family worship her?"
"If the Tian family doesn't worship her, it means they don't believe her. Then, they should also ask her to demonstrate it, right? This is food that costs no money. One demonstration would mean repeated pounding."
"But yesterday, when I saw her pounding in the stone mortar, I almost burst out laughing. Her movements were so clumsy, what does that represent?"
"Also, her frail body shows everywhere that the Tian family is harsh on their daughters. Can you guarantee that you will give birth to sons after marrying into their family?"
"If you give birth to daughters, your status will also decline due to the Tian family's dislike, and then they will mistreat your daughters. Won't you feel heartbroken? Can you protect them?"