Chapter 14: Chapter 14, The Story

After saying goodbye to Aunt Meilian, the grandmother and granddaughter walked toward their own home. It wasn't far, only about ten meters.

"You child, why did you buy so many things?" Seeing how heavy the shoulder pole was, Grandma He knew immediately that Xiao Xue had been out shopping.

Mei Xue looked at Grandma He with a silly grin. She hadn't paid much attention before, but after hearing Aunt Meilian's words today, she took a serious look at her grandmother's complexion.

It was indeed quite poor; the sallow tint suggested she hadn't been resting well.

"These are all things the house was lacking. I saw they were cheap, so I bought them. Don't worry, Grandma, I have money. Our family won't go hungry." Since she had come back and her grandmother treated her so well, she naturally wanted to repay her.

"You, showing off the moment you have a little money. If the house lacks something, why must you buy it?" In truth, she was just worried about the cost.

Ultimately, it was because earning money was difficult. Everyone was reluctant to spend, preferring to save for a rainy day.

Upon arriving home, Mei Xue placed the pole under the eaves and began taking the items out one by one.

First were the high-top rain boots she bought for her grandmother. "Grandma, try these on to see if they fit."

Seeing the things Mei Xue had bought for her, Grandma He felt very happy in her heart, but her face remained stern. "You child, why did you buy these? Don't we have rain boots at home? It doesn't rain that often; you won't wear them many times."

Seeing her grandmother like this, Mei Xue didn't get angry. She immediately coaxed her grandmother to sit down and helped her change her shoes to check the size.

Grandma He was pleased, and a smile finally appeared on her face. "Everything Xiao Xue bought will be useful."

There were not just shoes, but also cotton and various other miscellaneous items.

Seeing Xiao Xue busy unpacking as soon as she returned, and having tried on the shoes herself, Grandma He grabbed her hand. "Stop messing around. You must be hungry. Let's eat first, and we can tidy up later. Since you've already bought them, I won't ask you to return them."

It was all the child's heartfelt intention; no matter how much she worried about money, she wouldn't break the child's heart over it.

As if on cue, Mei Xue's stomach let out a growl. "I'm hungry."

"You're such a little rascal. Alright, put it down, let's eat first," Grandma He said with an amused expression.

"Grandma, haven't you eaten either? It's already one o'clock. How can you not have eaten yet? This won't do; you'll wear yourself out. Don't wait for me from now on. If you're hungry, eat first; just leave some for me."

Seeing Xiao Xue's concern, Grandma He turned her back to wipe her face, adjusting her expression.

"Nonsense. I was just busy until now. Who was waiting for you?" the old lady said, being stubborn on the outside but soft on the inside.

Mei Xue didn't expose her and simply played along.

Their lunch was quite sumptuous, and Mei Xue ate with great gusto.

"Grandma, why did you add beans to the rice? Is our rice running low?" Mei Xue was a meticulous person.

They hadn't eaten like this a few days ago; she feared the rice supply might be running short, and there were still two months until the autumn harvest.

"It's enough. It rained this morning, so I added some red beans to the rice to help clear the dampness," Grandma He replied with a smile.

With just the two of them eating, there was plenty of rice.

"That's good then. I thought we were running low. If we run out, we'll go buy some. No matter what, I won't let you, Grandma, go without," Mei Xue said softly.

She tidied the bowls and chopsticks on the table and took them to be washed.

Since it had been raining, the water flow in the back was strong. Mei Xue worked quickly and finished the dishes in no time.

She then began talking to her grandmother about making quilts.

Needlework was truly not her strength, so she had to rely on her grandmother.

Grandma He thought that the quilt Mei Xue would use for her marriage was still the one Jun Qi had used before, so it was time to make her a new one. Without much fuss, she said, "It's raining, so there's no need to go to the fields. I'll make it for you."

Mei Xue had also brought back some fabric, which could be used for clothes or quilt covers; she didn't like the kind they were currently using.

The fabric had different sides—one smooth and one cotton. She preferred both sides to be cotton for comfort.

"What about this fabric? Can you make clothes, Grandma?" Mei Xue felt a headache coming on; she had acted on impulse.

"That's fine. We'll take it to Aunt Meilian later and ask her to make them for us. We'll just give her a little money for the thread," Grandma He said generously.

Of course, she was also a sensible woman who knew which things were too much trouble and which things had to be done oneself.

"Mm, I didn't realize Aunt Meilian had such a skill."

The weather in the afternoon was passable, but there was still a hint of misty rain and a slight breeze.

Grandma He stayed indoors to make the quilt for Mei Xue.

Mei Xue also learned from her grandmother bit by bit, helping her fluff the cotton. She took out a bow and began the process of fluffing the cotton.

The sound was quite pleasant to the ear.

Fluffing cotton was heavy labor. Grandma He grew tired after a while. Seeing this, Mei Xue took over from her and began to fluff it slowly.

"You child, you're quite handy with this kind of hard work, yet you can't even thread a needle for half a day," Grandma He said, giving Mei Xue a mock glare.

"Of course! I've had great strength since I was little; otherwise, how could I eat so much? So, from now on, give all the heavy and tiring chores to me. I have plenty of strength, even if I do eat a bit more."

She spoke with great conviction.

Grandma He was amused by her. "Fine then! Since this old woman has good strength, I'll give all the heavy and tiring chores to you in the future. I'll work you like a dog!"

"I won't! I'm willing, and I won't get tired!"

The grandmother and granddaughter spent a pleasant afternoon chatting and laughing.

While cooking dinner, Mei Xue couldn't help but ask her grandmother about Aunt Meilian.

Hearing Mei Xue mention the things Meilian had told her, Grandma He knew exactly what was going on.

"Speaking of which, your Aunt Meilian is also a child of misfortune. When she first married in, your Uncle Zhengcai hadn't split the family yet, and there were two sons in the house. Her older brothers were there, and her older sisters had married early and weren't home.

But that sister-in-law upstairs was no simple person. You know Aunt Meilian has two children now? Actually, she gave birth to three."

Speaking of these matters, Grandma He felt a sense of resentment; it had caused so much harm.

"Three?" Mei Xue was surprised.

"Indeed. The first was a son. Back then, everyone's conditions were poor; we lived hand to mouth. If it weren't for your Uncle Zhengcai having some skill himself, he might not have even been able to afford a wife."

Grandma He grew angry as she recounted these unpleasant memories.

Her second sister-in-law had also been a confused soul; otherwise, she wouldn't have died such an unexplained death.

It sounded like quite a story. Mei Xue's hands didn't stop moving, but her ears were listening intently.

Meilian had been controlled by her mother-in-law as soon as she married into the family. Everyone lived that way back then, so she didn't have much of an opinion on that.

But when she was pregnant with her first child, her health was quite poor, yet because the family's conditions were so bad, there was no way to go to a hospital for treatment.

(End of Chapter)