Chapter 3: Bickering Between Sister-in-Law and Sister

3. Bickering Between Sister-in-Law and Sister-in-Law

Although the Shi family lived reasonably well, it was still quite a struggle to come up with the bride price requested by the Tian family! Furthermore, there were truly a limited number of girls from other surnames in these ten villages and eight hamlets who were worth looking at! Young man Shi Shun was good-looking and his family background was decent, so naturally, he was unwilling to marry an ugly woman home!

In the end, it was the eldest Shi sister who made the sacrifice, marrying a limping carpenter in his thirties whose wife had passed away! They used the bride price given by that carpenter to make up the difference for the Tian family's requirements, finally managing to marry Tian Laidi home! But since Tian Laidi's foolish younger brother had a decent bride price and yet no one was willing to marry him, they set their sights on the second Shi sister!

Shi Ermei felt she had heard enough; if she didn't show herself soon, her sister-in-law might just talk her soft-hearted mother into being swayed!

"Father, Mother, Brother, Sister-in-law, you're back!" Shi Ermei, clutching a handful of green vegetables, flashed out from behind the door.

Tian Laidi, who was currently whispering in her mother-in-law's ear, was startled by the sudden appearance of her sister-in-law!

"Oh, Ermei, you were in the kitchen," Tian Laidi said to her sister-in-law with an unnatural smile. "I thought you were in the backyard messing around making fruit wine!"

A few days ago, Shi Ermei had said she planned to brew some fruit wine, not only for the family to drink but also to take to the county seat to let the elders of her natal clan taste it during the New Year greetings!

More than a month ago, Shi Ermei had tried brewing wild mountain pear fruit once. The family thought the taste was quite good, so she sent a jar to her natal clan in the county town. This time, she said she planned to brew more fruit wine using seasonal berries, which received the approval of her father and brother; they wouldn't even let her do any field work!

After all, by winning the favor of the old lady and the Juren Master of her natal clan, their lives would be even easier!

Old Man Shi planned to discuss renting a few more acres of land to cultivate with that Juren cousin of the natal clan when they went to the county seat for the New Year.

Shi Ermei let out a sneer, shook the vegetables in her hand, and said with a long face, "Sister-in-law, what do you mean by 'messing around'? If that's how you're going to talk, then tomorrow I'll go work in the fields, and you can stay home and 'mess around'!"

Regarding this sister-in-law who was single-mindedly trying to pit her against others, Shi Ermei had no intention of giving her any face!

Tian Laidi's face turned bright red from being insulted by her sister-in-law. She wanted to get angry, but since her parents-in-law were present, she could only stomp into the west room in a huff.

Shi Ermei rolled her eyes; she didn't care whether Tian Laidi was angry or not!

The rule for country men was that as long as it didn't cause domestic unrest, the affairs of the women in the house were left to the mistress of the house to coordinate; Old Man Shi and his son Shi Shun did not interfere!

When the youngest daughter and the daughter-in-law were not getting along, the mother naturally sided with her daughter! Li Zhishi gave Shi Ermei a reproachful glare, then walked to the well to use the leftover water from her husband and son to wash her hands and face.

"Mother." Shi Ermei pulled a cotton cloth from the wooden rack and handed it to Lady Li after she finished washing her face.

Lady Li took the cotton cloth to wipe her face, then casually draped it back onto the wooden rack. Shi Ermei then handed over a small broom made of fine millet stalks.

"Look at you, child, how can you speak to your sister-in-law like that?" Lady Li scolded her youngest daughter while using the small broom to brush the grass bits and dust off her clothes. "Aren't you making it difficult for your brother to mediate in the middle?"

Although a mother sided with her daughter, she felt even more heartache for her son! Once Tian Laidi suffered a verbal defeat at her sister-in-law's hands, she would surely pick a fight with Shi Shun later!