country bumpkin

Chapter 26 I'll Share Half the Money

After several days of snow, the weather cleared up yesterday.

It's a sunny day again. People are flocking out of their homes to enjoy this rare warmth.

The elderly in the village sat in the courtyard basking in the sun, while children played together, their laughter echoing in the air.

The snow on the rooftops has melted, but the snow piled up on both sides of the road is still quite thick. The melted snow water gathers together and flows into low-lying areas, forming puddles.

The children saw the puddle and ran over, eager to play in it. An adult saw this and quickly went over to stop them.

"Caixia, Yunya, Yanzi, Jiankang, Yanping, Yanli, Jingjing, Qiangzhuang, any of you who dare to go into the water, I'll give them a good spanking." It was Xu Pozi's eldest son, Liu Dayong.

Granny Xu has two sons, the elder Liu Dayong and the younger Liu Dagang. Liu Dayong has a daughter, Liu Yanzi, and a son, Liu Jiankang.

They all live on this street. The children all know each other. The adults all know each other too, so one adult can easily keep an eye on a group of children.

The children, hearing the warning, backed away in fear. Caixia and Yunya suggested playing in the mud. They dug up the mud from the roadside without watering it and started throwing it around on the pile.

The sunlight shone on everyone and into their hearts, filling this cold winter with warmth.

At this moment, Granny Zhang was leaning against a large tree at the village meeting point, chatting with Granny Wang, Wang Cuihua's neighbor and best friend.

"Hey, Granny Wang, what brings you out here to sunbathe? Someone at home is sick and doesn't need your help," Granny Zhang said.

"Pah! Who's sick? I didn't know! You're the one who's sick! Your whole family is sick!" Granny Wang said angrily.

"Oh my! Granny Wang, are you crazy? You're like a dog, biting anyone you can get your hands on. It wasn't your daughter-in-law Zheng Cuiying who said your old man is sick, can't get out of bed, and needs someone to take care of him," Granny Zhang retorted.

"This mouth of her cotton-padded pants is even more leaky than the pants themselves. I'll tear her mouth off when we get back," Granny Wang said angrily.

"Alright, alright, what's there to be embarrassed about? It's not a big deal. If you're sick, just go to the doctor, that's all. Why get angry?" Granny Zhang advised.

"Oh, by the way, I heard that Granny Mu's youngest daughter is back. My daughter-in-law ran into her when she went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy things the other day." Granny Wang gossiped excitedly.

"Yes, I saw her too. That little girl has grown up so much, tsk tsk tsk... so pretty!" said Granny Zhang.

"Oh, really? She was doing so well, why did she quit? Is she going back in the spring?" Granny Wang asked curiously.

"She said she's not leaving, apparently she's going to the city to find work in the spring. Anyway, all three of her older sisters have married and moved to the city, so I guess she'll have to find a city man too," Granny Zhang guessed.

"She's so beautiful, no man can resist her. Whoever marries her will be so lucky, hahaha..." Granny Wang laughed loudly, tilting her head back.

Granny Zhang glared at her and said, "Don't talk nonsense. She's still a virgin. We can't ruin her reputation. Besides, this girl is amazing. She earned 5000 yuan in two years, which is more than a man earns. Which man in our village can earn that much money in two years?"

Granny Wang's mouth gaped open in shock, wide enough to fit an egg... "Really? Is it possible to make that much money?"

"That's right, how could it be fake? I saw it with my own eyes. This will pay off all the debts in one go, and there will still be plenty of money left over." Granny Zhang was as proud as if it were her own daughter.

Granny Wang's eyes darted around. "Well, she can't share this money at all. She has two older brothers and two sisters-in-law."

Granny Zhang roared, "Nonsense! What's there to divide? People work hard, save money by working overtime and living frugally. Why should they give it to my brother and sister-in-law?"

She continued, "Besides, they just got married, built a new house, and still have so much debt. Why should they give away their money? They should keep it to help with household expenses. They also need to buy new furniture for the new house and save up for the dowry."

Granny Wang remained silent. But in her heart, she was thinking about how to tell her good neighbor (and best friend), Wang Cuihua, about this.

Seeing that Wang Pozi remained silent, Granny Zhang assumed she had listened. So, Granny Zhang began to talk about other topics.

"I heard that her new house is very beautiful, and she also bought some new furniture."

"Oh, what a good girl! Hardworking and filial. Whoever marries her will be so lucky," Granny Zhang exclaimed.

As the two were talking, they suddenly heard a commotion.

"Look, aren't those the two Liu brothers and their wives?" Granny Wang said, pointing into the distance.

The two Liu brothers and their wives were walking towards them, their faces showing resentment.

Wang Pozi, always eager for a good show, went up to them and asked, "Brothers Liu, what's wrong? Did you have a fight? If there's anything between brothers, can't they talk it out? It's even more so between husband and wife. Whatever you can't get over, you're all family."

Granny Wang continued talking to herself. The two Liu brothers glared at her and said at the same time, "None of your business. Mind your own business.

Granny Wang choked. She silently retreated to the foot of the tree. Only after they had gone far away did she speak.

"Heh...tui"

Spit out a mouthful of saliva.

"What a piece of trash, who does he think he is? He's not very capable, but he has quite a temper."

Granny Zhang shook her head. "I'm not trying to criticize you, but you can't see how upset people are, and you still walk right into their trap. Who else would you scold if not you?"

They chatted for a while longer, then it was time to cook, and they went home separately.

After finishing her meal, Granny Wang went to find her good neighbor, Wang Cuihua, and told her everything she knew.

Upon hearing that her sister-in-law had brought back so much money, Wang Cuihua's greedy eyes widened.

She said, "Aunt Wang, how can I ask for money in a legitimate way? Can you give me some ideas?"

After whispering for a while, Wang Cuihua took the two children to her husband's house.

Kong Jianjun was old enough to understand; he knew his mother was an unreasonable person. His grandmother loved him dearly, so he took a shortcut to inform her.

At Yunya's house, Mu Shuyun was airing out her quilts in the yard. After several days of snow, the quilts were cold and damp. Today the sun was shining brightly, perfect for airing them out.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps approached. A small figure ran towards the gate from afar. Mu Shuyun recognized him as her eldest grandson, Kong Jianjun.

He smiled and said, "Jianjun, what brings you here? And you ran so fast. Come in, have a drink of water, and catch your breath."

"No, Grandma, my mom's here too, she's behind me. She's definitely not coming here for anything good, I have to hurry back. Otherwise she'll beat me again if she sees me coming to tip her off," Jianjun said anxiously.

Mu Shuyun's heart skipped a beat. She knew her daughter-in-law's temperament; she was sure she was here to cause trouble again.

"Don't worry, Grandma will go back with you." Mu Shuyun put down the quilt in her hand and followed Kong Jianjun back.

Just as I reached the gate, I ran into Wang Cuihua, who was hurrying towards me. She was carrying her youngest son, Kong Jianguo, in her arms.

Mu Shuyun smiled and said, "Cuihua, what brings you here? What happened at home?"

Wang Cuihua said, "Oh, Mother, everything's fine at home. I heard that my sister-in-law Xiufang came back and brought back 5000 yuan. Is that true?"

Mu Shuyun sensed something was wrong; they were after the family's money. Mu Shuyun turned and went into the house, Wang Cuihua following her in.

Mu Shuyun sat down and said, "What do you mean by this?"

Wang Cuihua said, "Mother, I am the eldest sister-in-law. If we hadn't separated the family, I should be the one in charge, and I should be in charge of all the money. Now that we've separated the family, I don't want it all. At the very least, I should get half of the money."

Mu Shuyun turned pale with anger. She pointed at Wang Cuihua and said, "Stop being unreasonable! This money was earned by your sister-in-law herself; it has nothing to do with us. If you keep causing trouble, don't blame me for being impolite!"

Wang Cuihua acted as if she hadn't heard and continued to do as she pleased. She said, "Why shouldn't I get a share? I'm her sister-in-law, her elder. It's only right that she respects her sister-in-law."

Mu Shuyun trembled with anger, her heart sinking. She never expected her eldest daughter-in-law to be so unreasonable—wasn't this just cheating?