Chapter 32: Li Hongmei’s Fighting Capacity
“Yea, it’s borrowed.”
Li Hongmei sneered again. “Could it be that Pa you also think that it’s the time for our Baofeng to go to school, so you come over to give us some financial help? Our Baofeng is very smart and he can write his name on the first day. Baofeng, fetch some paper and a pen. Write your name down for grandpa.”
“Xiao Baofeng was about to go inside the room when old Mr. Xiao waved his hand, “Well, since the money is borrowed, you might as well pay it back slowly by yourselves. But let me tell you something. Baofeng will come back to farm sooner or later. Why do you have to bother to throw this money away? What a waste! Have you ever seen any farmer in this village who can read?”
“Pa, Baocheng has went to private school for years. Why don’t you say the money he spent is a waste?” retorted Li Hongmei.
Wong Mudan who followed old Mr. Xiao almost jumped up, “How can you compare your Baofeng with my Baocheng? Baocheng is smart and gifted. He is going to attend the imperial examination and finally get selected to be a scholar. Your Baofeng can at most read one character or two.”
“Eder sister-in-law, you’re a bit too much by putting things this way. Your Baocheng has been to school for years but what he only knows is always the same “the moon shines on my bed brightly”. He didn’t even bother to change another one. You may fool clan leaders by this but not me!”
“Yo-ho, you sound like you’ve seen the world. Oh, that’s right. The one coming from a brothel knows a lot more than we do.”
She though was a harlot before, Li Hongmei never felt inferior due to this. On the contrary, she hated that Wong Mudan always picked on her and used this to attack her. She then shouted cockily, “I’m not the best, but ranked the third!”
“I never saw someone as thick-skinned as you are!”
“Now you see?”
“…”
The two women quibbled and argued without a break which stirred not only members of the Xiao family but the neighbour Mrs. Zhao has also come out, who stood aside and watched this show.
Old Mr. Xiao felt degraded so he started to scold others again, “Shut up you two! We have already lived separately and you’re still like this. Give me a break or I’ll chuck both of you to the ancestral house to live!”
Wong Mudan and Li Hongmei stopped quarreling right away but still Li Hongmei muttered, “Pa, I guess you haven’t had dinner yet. Elder sister-in-law is really interesting. She has time to argue with me here but has no time to cook dinner for you!”
Old Mr. Xiao just realized that he hadn’t had dinner yet so he scolded Wong Mudan again, “Hurry up and cook dinner! Are you going to starve me to death?”
Wong Mudan had no choice but went back to the kitchen obediently to cook dishes.
This was a shortcoming for the second household living apart. At first, Li Hongmei used to do most of the work and chores for the family but now all the household chores were laid on the shoulders of Wong Mudan and Chen Ju. They had to cook and chop firewood as well which made them as exhausted as cows.
…
Ye Xiaoxian had witnessed her mother-in-law’s articulation before. She knew that no one could surpass Li Hongmei in the department of argument so she did nothing but stood at the door and looked.
After this matter was solved, Li Hongmei called all her family together hurriedly, shutting the door and she urged everyone carefully,
“Listen to me. We have made money by selling cold jelly in town but you must keep it as a secret. If anyone asks you about this, you then tell them that we can’t make much out of it and we can only afford buying some rice, flour and vegetables. You heard me?”
Xiao Baoshan nodded, the other two little ones nodded too and Ye Xiaoxian said, “Yes, Ma!”
“Anyway, we just pretend we are awfully broke and poor. We are just a bit better off now so we need to try our best to hide it away.”
Ye Xiaoxian said, “But we can’t hide it away from others forever. I’m confident that our business will be bigger and bigger and we’ll make much more money day by day. When we got enough money, I’m thinking to make more new outfit and shoes for everyone and by then, both aunts will notice it.”
“Like this…we’d better not, not wear any new clothes then?” asked Li Hongmei hesitantly.