"Mom, I feel much better too, all my old ailments are gone!" Wang Xianghua said casually while sewing clothes for Su Xiaotian.
"Xiaotian said that wild fruits are nutritious, and there's some kind of nutrient in them that's good for the body. I just forgot the name!" Liang Xiu recalled her daughter's words and chimed in.
"Third sister-in-law, how are you doing with learning to read during this holiday with the children? Your eldest brother said it's good to learn to read; we adults are not as good as our Sweetie."
"I never thought reading was that good before, but looking at Sweetie, I realize how useful it is. You tell me, how did this child come up with the idea of boiling the fruit into jam and preserving it?"
Although she said this, Liang Xiu's eyes were full of pride. Such an intelligent daughter was born to her.
"Boiling wild fruits into jam is good, but it's too wasteful. A jar of jam requires so much sugar, it breaks my heart!" Qi Liangying patted her chest, putting on a pained expression.
Qi Liangying's actions made the mother-in-law and daughters-in-law burst into laughter.
If it were before, Grandma Su would also have been reluctant to use so much sugar to make jam, but now it's different. Sweetie would give her money and coupons every few days, all sorts of coupons, and quite a few sugar coupons.
With money and coupons in hand, Grandma Su was no longer afraid of waste.
"Although it's a bit wasteful, it's worth it if the family's health improves," Grandma Su said with emotion.
The three daughters-in-law looked at their mother-in-law in surprise. When did their old lady start saying such generous things?
Grandma Su glared at her daughters-in-law and lowered her eyes to continue sewing shoe soles.
After a while, she said, "I know you all resent me, thinking I'm stingy."
The three daughters-in-law remained silent, but their expressions showed that they did think so.
"It was really unavoidable before! If the family's conditions were better, who would want to skimp on food?" Grandma Su's voice was filled with unconcealable helplessness and heartache.
The three daughters-in-law stopped talking. What their mother-in-law said was the truth.
"We have so many boys in our family, they eat a lot, and they'll need to get married soon. If we don't save, we won't be able to make ends meet for long."
Listening to Grandma Su's rambling words, Liang Xiu and the others nodded in approval.
The family's life was tight. If it weren't for their mother-in-law's shrewd management, they would probably have gone hungry for two months every year.
"Mom, where did all this food we have come from?" Wang Xianghua couldn't help but ask.
She was a person who couldn't keep secrets, and she had been suffocating for the past two months.
Grandma Su's expression changed slightly, and she looked up at her eldest daughter-in-law.
This matter had been suppressed by force back then, but it was not a long-term solution.
Wang Xianghua quickly lowered her head and pretended to be busy, not daring to look at her mother-in-law.
"It was sent by someone to your father. The little beggar your father saved back then is now a high-ranking official in the province. Thinking of your father's life-saving kindness from years ago, he sent a lot of good things and money coupons."
Liang Xiu was confused. She clearly remembered that when her mother-in-law first brought out the supplies, no one had sent a package to the family.
But she also knew that if her mother-in-law didn't want to say, no amount of asking would yield an answer.
She had subtly asked her own husband about it, but she hadn't gotten any clear answers.
Wang Xianghua, on the other hand, was simple-minded. She believed her mother-in-law as soon as she heard it, without considering if it was true.
As for Qi Liangying, although she had doubts, she was a smart person. No matter where it came from, as long as her family and her children didn't lack food, it was fine.
Sometimes, knowing is worse than not knowing.
The holiday passed very comfortably, and the Su family showed obvious changes.
Even though the children of the old Su family were discreet, they were still noticed by those who were paying attention to them.
It was none other than Su Xiaoqin.
Su Xiaoqin was accustomed to going to the old Su family. In the past, whenever the family ran out of food, she would go to the old Su family and cry pitifully, showing weakness. Grandma Su was soft-hearted, and she always got food.
Although she ate with resentment every time because she didn't eat as well as Su Xiaotian.
But it couldn't be denied that she could eat her fill.
During this period, when Liu Xiuying was in a bad mood, she still didn't get any food.
Especially after Liu Xiuying had suffered a few losses at Grandma Su's hands recently, Liu Xiuying's temper grew worse, and Su Xiaoqin's life became even more difficult, with her not eating her fill two out of every three days.
She had gone around the old Su family's vicinity more than once, thinking of eating at the old Su family's place, but she was always turned away.
However, she smelled that the Su family's food was different from before.
That faint fragrance was not something that could come from the cornmeal and vegetable mush of the past.
She could clearly distinguish that the Su family's food smelled of meat and eggs.
Don't ask her how she knew; her sense of smell had been relatively sensitive since childhood, especially when it came to food, it was extremely sensitive.
Thinking that the old Su family was eating well and drinking well, but not letting her eat, she was filled with hatred!
She dared not tell Liu Xiuying about this, fearing that if Liu Xiuying couldn't get what she wanted, she would be beaten again when she returned.
She was truly scared.
Su Xiaoqin was also someone who bullied the weak and feared the strong. She dared not resent the person who always beat her, so she accumulated all her resentment towards those who helped her.
Last time, she had used Kang Yiye, but Kang Yiye was useless. Not only did she fail to get Su Sanshu involved, but she also lost herself. For the time being, Su Xiaoqin couldn't find anyone else to exploit.
But her thoughts became darker and darker, always thinking of doing something to let the people of the old Su family know that they couldn't bully her like this.
So, whenever she had time, she would keep an eye on the children of the Su family.
And she did find some clues.
The children of the old Su family went to the cow shed. Once, they even saw the Su family helping the people in the cow shed and sending food to them.
Her life was not going well, and she couldn't let Su Xiaotian's life be good either.
She wanted to see Su Xiaotian suffer misfortune, preferably to be put on a high platform and denounced, with rotten vegetables thrown at her.
Thinking of such a scene, Su Xiaoqin smiled. Her eyes, which should have been clear at the age of ten or so, were filled with resentment and hatred.
The people of the old Su family were unaware of this. They still worked at sunrise and rested at sunset, living a poor but simple and happy life.
One day, the old Su family was having dinner.
The team leader, along with the militia captain, the women's director, and others, arrived.
The group arrived with a fierce demeanor, their gazes were all wrong, unlike their usual kindness and amiability.
Grandpa Su had seen the world and could tell that this visit was definitely not for a visit or a greeting.
Su's sons and daughters-in-law all stood up, and Grandpa Su also put down his chopsticks.
Su Changjiu and the others' gazes swept across the two tables of the Su family, or rather, the food on the two tables.