Chapter 14: Eat a Clove of Garlic First

Wang Er-ying laughed, "I'll take your word for it; that boy has indeed turned a corner. Once he has news of a marriage, I’ll be sure to notify you first."

"Alright, I'll be waiting to drink to your happiness." Li Xiangqin waved goodbye and took her daughter home.

The benefit of living on the first floor is the convenience of coming and going; you can push your bicycle directly into the living room, saving it from being stolen.

As soon as the two entered the house, Xiao Wu greeted them, "My goodness, Mom, did you two go out all morning just to buy a bicycle?"

Following her exclamation, the third son and his wife also pushed the door open. Seeing the bicycle parked in the living room, their eyes lit up.

"Mom, why did you suddenly buy a bicycle out of the blue? When did you save up industrial coupons, and why didn't you let a word slip?"

If he had known Mom had industrial coupons, he would have taken them to buy a watch for his wife. The watch bought as a betrothal gift was kept by his mother-in-law, and whenever his wife saw a watch on someone else's wrist, she was filled with envy.

He loved his wife and had been secretly saving money, planning to surprise her.

"This bike is so pretty!" Zhao Meijuan held the handlebars, her eyes sparkling.

Li Xiangqin glanced at them. She didn't hide anything, thinking it better to be direct to dispel their wild thoughts.

"This is for the fourth daughter to ride to work; it's convenient."

The two were stunned. Zhao Meijuan withdrew her hand, her gaze falling directly on the cloth bag in the fourth daughter's arms, the jealousy in her heart nearly breaking her composure.

"Mom~, you are really good to the fourth sister."

"Of course. My Zhang family's children, regardless of gender, are the apples of my eye; they are all treated the same. It's already noon, and none of you are thinking about getting up to cook? Are you waiting for your old mother to serve you?"

Having run around all morning, Li Xiangqin couldn't be bothered to argue with these two idiots. She took the cloth bag from the fourth daughter's hands and went back to her room.

"Fourth sister, tell me, what did you and Mom do today?" Xiao Wu grabbed Zhang Jianhong's arm, dragging her into the room.

The third son felt uncomfortable. Just as he was about to speak, Zhao Meijuan pulled him back and shook her head at him.

"Mom has a lot of opinions about us right now, so don't go looking for trouble. The ones with the most weight in this family are still the eldest brother and his wife."

*That old hag, spending so much money on a mere girl—a job and now a bicycle! As if she’s worth it!*

In the past, she hadn't noticed the old woman being this good to her daughters.

"Before, I thought Mom only cared about the eldest brother's family. I didn't expect Mom to be so partial to the fourth sister. I suppose I was just young and couldn't see through people's hearts."

The third son hummed with dissatisfaction.

"I'm going to tell the eldest and second brothers right now. Mom is doing this because she doesn't take us sons seriously at all."

Watching the third son rush out, Zhao Meijuan smiled, turned, and went to the kitchen, tying on her apron to start cooking.

Washing some greens and boiling a bowl of noodle soup took less than half an hour—simple and easy.

"Mom, dinner is ready."

When Zhao Meijuan placed the last bowl on the table, she untied her apron and walked to the door to knock.

Li Xiangqin stopped what she was doing, walked out of the room, and looked at the noodle soup on the table. She didn't say anything, sat down, and took a sip of the soup. Not knowing what she was thinking, she directly ordered Zhao Meijuan.

"Bring me two heads of garlic."

"Alright."

Zhao Meijuan responded gently. Just as she walked out of the kitchen with the garlic, Zhao Jianshe pushed the door open and entered.

"Eat quickly, or it'll get soggy."

A bowl of noodles and a head of garlic—after finishing, Li Xiangqin smacked her lips. *That hits the spot.*

Just as she sat down in front of the sewing machine, the door was pushed open, revealing Xiao Wu's fawning face.

"Hehe~, Mom, the fourth sister said you bought several feet of Dacron fabric. Can you make me a top too?"

"I remember I made you new clothes just last year. You haven't grown much, but you have plenty of ideas. The fourth is an adult; after starting work, she needs to look for a partner, so she needs to be presentable.

You're a student, why do you need to dress so flashily? You'd be better off putting your heart into your studies, strive to get into university, and earn yourself a way out."

"Mom, I haven't worn Dacron yet. Just make me one, please, Mom?"

Xiao Wu put her hands together, leaning in with pleading eyes.

"Just make me one while you're at it, and I promise to study hard."

Looking at Xiao Wu's eccentric behavior and thinking of her eventual fate, Li Xiangqin couldn't help but offer a warning. If she listened, it might save her some heartache.

"Hmph, don't try that with me. You and the fourth are both my daughters. I will plan for you as much as I can, but if you give up halfway or lack a firm will, don't blame me for not warning you when you suffer later."

"Don't worry, Mom. I swear to the Party, my will is very firm." Xiao Wu immediately raised her hand to swear, standing straight as a board.

"Zhang Jianli, remember what you said today. Don't be fooled by the sugar-coated bullets outside. I know you students nowadays have started liking those 'literary youths.'

As it happens, some of those pretty boys deliberately cater to your tastes just to trick you young girls. They'll take you to the mountains, sell you off, make you someone's wife, and have a bunch of kids until you're worked to death."

"Oh, Mom, don't tell me those stories you use to scare kids. I just want you to make me a Dacron shirt."

Xiao Wu pouted, hugging Li Xiangqin's neck.

"I'm already a first-year high school student, and I'm a girl; I have to pay attention to my image."

"Pah~, stop that with me. The Great Man has repeatedly emphasized that you progressive youths should uphold a spirit of hard work and plain living to contribute to the Four Modernizations.

Don't think you can fool me just because I'm old. I'm not illiterate; I read the newspaper occasionally."

Li Xiangqin pushed her away and pointed at the pale green cotton shirt she was wearing.

"This shirt is perfectly fine, why make another? Once you start working, you won't even have to ask; I'll have everything ready for you."

Xiao Wu pouted, looking reluctant, and stomped out of the room in a huff.

Li Xiangqin ignored her and continued working the sewing machine. She had to finish the fourth daughter's clothes quickly so she could go to work looking brand new tomorrow.

Just as she was busy, the front door was slammed open with a bang, scaring her so much she nearly ruined the stitching.

Steadying her nerves, Li Xiangqin pinched the bridge of her nose. Before she could stand up, the bedroom door was pushed open.

Zhang Yanli and Wang Yulan stood at the doorway, looking at their mother-in-law sitting at the sewing machine with several semi-finished garments on the table.

"You ill-bred things, is my place a vegetable market that you can just come barging in?"

Li Xiangqin took the initiative, placing the cloth scraps into a basket, standing up, and brushing the lint off her clothes.

"I, as an elder, am truly worth less than nothing. I let my daughters-in-law bully their way in, slamming things around and glaring at me as if you could swallow me whole. I really want to ask, is this how you treat your parents at your own maiden homes?

I'll go ask your parents later if their daughters-in-law treat their parents-in-law this way. If that's the family tradition, then it just proves that if the upper beam is crooked, the lower ones will be too, and I won't bother arguing with you."