Rebirth in 1984, starting from beekeeping in the mountains

Chapter 7: The world is tough, and a wife must be strong

Xie Liucui looked extremely concerned.

She repeatedly stared at Lan Wenxiu's belly and began to mutter, "Wenxiu, you must be malnourished. When I was pregnant with your cousins, their pants were two sizes too big when I was four months pregnant!"

"You need to make up for it quickly, otherwise it will affect the baby in your belly!"

She gave Lan Wenxiu instructions in a serious tone, with a very serious expression on her face.

As a newly married woman expecting her first child, it is impossible for Lan Wenxiu to say that she is not worried about her visible belly.

But because she knew what Xie Liucui was thinking, Lan Wenxiu remained calm: "My belly is not noticeable, maybe... I am thinner!"

"My niece-in-law! It's because you're thin that your belly is more visible. I'm telling you, you are..."

Xie Liucui found a breakthrough and gave a long, heartfelt speech. The core idea was to persuade Lan Wenxiu to, first, do less hard work and rest more; second, eat well and take more tonic food.

Lan Wenxiu did not interrupt her. She sat down and took a rest, nodding as she listened.

Xie Liucui thought she had completely persuaded Lan Wenxiu, but when she saw the time was right, she changed her tone again, "Alas! I also know it's not easy for you two. Last time, Hongan came to our house to borrow food, but my aunt's family didn't have any surplus food at that time, so Hongan had to come back empty-handed! After Hongan left, your uncle and I felt bad. Your uncle only has this one nephew, and Hongan's father died early. Your uncle and I should have helped you more.

So, the day before yesterday I went back to my mother's house to borrow several dozen kilograms of rice and prepared two chickens, and I planned to ask Hong An to bring them back today."

Having said that, Xie Liucui deliberately stopped and looked at Lan Wenxiu.

"There's no surplus food at my aunt's house?"

Lan Wenxiu almost lost her temper when she heard these words and blurted out a rebuttal.

Everyone in the village knew that there was a drought for several months last year and most families in the village suffered severe harvest failures. However, this aunt's family managed to preserve the rice in the fields by using the dirty method of stealing water from other people's homes in the middle of the night, and became one of the few families in the entire village to have a good harvest.

When the harvest came, this aunt was so full of energy and pride that she seemed afraid that others would not know about it.

Their family of six was allocated more than seven acres of land, and it was a bumper harvest, so how could there be no surplus food?

It's just that I don't want to borrow it.

As for the generous conditions of dozens of kilograms of rice and two chickens, it is obvious that they are still aimed at the one acre of paddy field in Niujiao Bay.

Seeing Xie Liucui looking at her, Lan Wenxiu just smiled faintly and did not comment.

Seeing that she didn't say anything, Xie Liucui could only bring it up herself: "You are pregnant now, and Hongan is alone. The paddy field in Niujiaowan is too far away, and it is not convenient to take care of it. We also have a paddy field of similar size in Pingtangxia, which is just a stroll away from you. It is convenient to take care of and harvest. When Hongan goes to the field, you are at home with a big belly. If there is anything, he can hear you just by shouting.

What your uncle and I suggested is that our two families exchange fields. As for Niujiaowan, we still have two acres of land, so this will be convenient for both families.

Don’t worry, as elders, we will never let you youngsters suffer any loss.”

Xie Liucui held Lan Wenxiu's hand and vowed: "The thirty kilograms of rice and two chickens I mentioned earlier will be used as a precondition for this land exchange!"

Lan Wenxiu listened silently to the performance of her aunt-in-law. She felt disgusted in her heart. She exchanged the inferior fields in Pingtang for the superior fields in Niujiaowan, and still had the nerve to say that she was not taking advantage. How could she really say this? She really treated her as a silly foreign daughter-in-law.

She didn't want to argue with Xie Liucui too much, so she just said calmly: "I know about this, Hongan told me about it, but... Hongan said that he gave his uncle a reply at that time, saying that he didn't agree to the change!"

"Yes! I said it!"

Xie Liucui came up again and said, "But when Hongan heard that there was no grain to borrow, he was just anxious! He spoke without thinking! Alas, you know his temper, he is as stubborn as a bull, he doesn't think things through, and can't tell good from bad.

Wenxiu, think about it, if you don't change it, by the time the rice is harvested, your belly will be about eight months old. By that time, Hong'an will be working in the fields. If something happens to you at home, no one in Niujiaowan will hear you even if you scream at the top of your lungs!
Besides, last year your Niujiaowan field only produced four dan of millet, but our Pingtang field produced five dan of millet! In this exchange, we are the ones who suffer. If it weren’t for…”

Xie Liucui was talking excitedly when Lan Wenxiu suddenly said coldly: "Aunt! This number is not calculated like this!"

"Huh?" Xie Liucui looked at Lan Wenxiu in surprise.

As they stared at each other quietly, Lan Wenxiu clenched her fists coldly. She had originally planned to deal with today's scene.

But the aunt was so anxious that she even talked about her husband and the baby in her belly.

Lan Wenxiu could allow her to deceive herself.

But she scolded her husband in front of her and cursed her unborn child.

This... no!
"What...what number?" Feeling the change in Lan Wenxiu's momentum, Xie Liucui felt a little frightened for some reason, and her breath unconsciously weakened.

Lan Wenxiu spoke coldly, "Aunt, although I have only been married to the village for a short time, I also know that when the land was divided the year before last, the land in Niujiaowan was divided into second-class land, and the best land in Pingtangxia is only fourth-class land! One acre of second-class land can produce an average of seven dan of millet, and one acre of fourth-class land can only produce five and a half dan! There is a difference of more than one dan!"

"No way!" Before Lan Wenxiu could finish, Xie Liucui retorted at the top of her lungs, "The grades used when the land was divided were all old calendars made up when calculating work points. They don't count! The actual amount of millet harvested and the amount collected are what count! Just tell me, did you only harvest four dan of millet from your acre of land in Niujiaowan last year, while we harvested five dan in Pingtangxia!"

"Haha!" Lan Wenxiu just sneered upon hearing this, and looked at Xie Liucui with a cold gaze, "Auntie... I know what happened last year. If it weren't for your powerful methods, how could we have harvested five loads of millet from the fields under Pingtang!"

Not only was Lan Wenxiu mocking her coaxing words, but she also hinted at that incident in her words. Xie Liucui's neck turned red with anxiety, and she shouted at the top of her throat: "What happened last year? What do you know..."

Lan Wenxiu did not argue with her and just interrupted her calmly: "Aunt, I think you'd better keep your voice down! Fang Qingshun's house is behind ours. His wife was complaining the day before yesterday that it was your family that cut off their water supply last year and she wanted to go to your house to dump the grain. If she heard you here now..."

Lan Wenxiu stopped talking, pursed her lips and looked at Xie Liucui coldly with a smile.

"She dares... dares to come..."

Xie Liucui's face froze, her neck was stiff and her mouth didn't soften, but her voice was obviously lowered.

After a pause, he forced himself to explain to Lan Wenxiu, "That crazy woman from Qingshun's family always makes false accusations. You can't trust anything she says. Last year, our field in Pingtang produced five acres of millet. That's because the field is connected to an underground spring, so it's naturally immune to drought. It's an acre of precious land!"

Lan Wenxiu followed her words and spread her hands: "Since this is a precious field, we can't change it! Hongan and I are both laymen who have just learned farming. If we ruin this acre of precious field, we will be criticized!"

"You..." Xie Liucui never expected that the niece-in-law in front of her, who looked weak and whom she thought was easily defeated, was actually a very powerful and ruthless character.

Not only is his mind clear, but his speech is also spot on!

Furious and unable to think of a solution, she simply tore off her pride and glared at Lan Wenxiu fiercely: "Why can't you tell the difference between good and bad? If I wasn't doing this for your own good, I wouldn't have come to your door and told you so much!"

"Aunt! Of course I will remember your kindness!" Lan Wenxiu said sincerely, "The field is not changed. As for the thirty kilograms of rice and two chickens, I will ask Hongan to borrow them when he comes back. Thank you in advance, aunt!"

"Pooh!"

Xie Liucui stopped pretending and stood up: "If I don't change the land, who will lend me rice and chickens?"

"Humph!"

"I'm waiting for the day when you come to me and beg me for help!"

She threw down a few harsh words, shook her hands and left angrily.

Watching her leave, Lan Wenxiu retracted the sneer on her face, touched her belly with her hand, and murmured, "Son! Son! You are in your mother's belly, you must be strong! The world outside... is very dangerous!"

She lowered her head heavily. She didn't know how long it had been before she suddenly heard footsteps. In her peripheral vision, she seemed to see a figure walking towards the door.

Lan Wenxiu raised her head and took a closer look. She saw a figure carrying a backpack, with his back straight, walking with great energy.

It was her husband Fang Hongan who came back.

　In our area, one load means two baskets, which generally refers to 100 jin.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)