At the end of July, Tian went to tell Shen that Wuma was going to turn one year old and asked Shen to prepare. Shen thought it had been a long time since he saw Zhou, so he might as well take this opportunity to visit him and discuss what gift to give. There was also Liu Yulan, a newlywed friend who hadn't had time to send a congratulatory gift last time, so this time she prepared one and brought it along.
Shen took Zi Qing to Anzhou, and when they came out of the Zhou's house, Shen asked Zhou about Liu Yulan's address. Zhou said, "It's just on a nearby street, let Zi Ping take you there, so you don't have to ask for directions."
Shen's family listened and agreed happily, when they arrived at the entrance of Liu Yulan's street, they happened to meet Liu Yulan and her husband coming out. Shen's family hurriedly went forward to greet them, and Liu's family was also overjoyed, holding Shen's hand and asking how they came?
"This is my niece from next door, she sent us over, otherwise I would still be wondering when to ask."
Liu listened carefully and took a good look at Zi Ping for several eyes. After Zi Ping left, Liu asked about Zi Ping's age and family situation in detail. Shen felt a stir in her heart, but didn't show it. Zi Qing thought to herself that if things really worked out, it might be a good thing after all.
After entering the Liu's home, Shen brought out the two pieces of fabric and several small embroidered items she had made as gifts. Liu was very moved, her eyes reddening as she said: "It's hard for you to still think of me. To be honest, after getting married, I haven't really had any friends or relatives come visit me. Now that you've come, stay for dinner and let's have a good chat."
Shen saw that they were all living together as a big family, with two young daughters-in-law sitting on the side, which was quite inconvenient. Considering their home situation was also very general and she had just gotten married and might not be able to take charge of the household, she said: "Let's stop for today, there are still children at home who need to be breastfed. Next time when you're free, come visit me again, and if nothing happens, you can often go to my place to sit." After finishing speaking, Shen bid farewell.
After returning home, Xia Yu came over. The summer harvest was over, and Xia Yu went back to her parents' home to see her father and mother, thinking of staying for a while to take some medicine and nourish her body, as she had been constantly nagged by her mother-in-law at her husband's home and didn't have a good mood.
"Second sister, I'm probably going to end up like this for the rest of my life, unable to have children. I'm stuck with medicine bottles every day, where would I get kids from? My mother-in-law scolds me every day at home, saying I'm a hen that only eats but doesn't lay eggs, and her son works hard all year round but it's not even enough for my medical expenses. I regret not being more careful when I got married, but I don't dare talk back, so I can only hide in the house and wipe away tears. Waaah, second sister... my life is so bitter! What should I do? I'm just a burden, a burden to your family, and now I'm also a burden to him..." Xia Yu sobbed.
Shen's family still has some feelings for this young girl. When she married into the family, Xia Yu was only 5 or 6 years old and her body had always been weak. Now that she's been married for over two years and still can't get pregnant, it's likely to be difficult in the future too, which is also a worry for them.
Zi Qing also shed tears, if not for Er Gu's kindness, I'm afraid Er Gu would have been driven out of her husband's family long ago. Even so, she still can't shut up her mother-in-law's mouth.
The Shen family suddenly thought that since they drank the sheep's milk, their bodies seemed to have become stronger, and their skin tone had also improved a lot. So she took the initiative to send her a sheep, let Zi Qing teach her how to squeeze milk, how to cook milk, and the many benefits of drinking sheep's milk.
Zi Qing's eyes lit up after listening, and she said: "Second Aunt, this goat milk must be drunk every day to take effect, my mother looks much younger now, and I, San, and Si have all grown a lot this year. I read in a book that people with weak constitutions are most suitable for drinking this." After finishing speaking, Zi Qing went to boil another pot and let her drink a big bowl, then Xia Yu led the nanny goat back to the old house.
Mrs. Tian saw Xiaoyu leading a sheep over and asked where it came from, and upon learning that it was given by Mrs. Shen, she snorted: "She's still pretty good to you, even willing to take the initiative to send something to you, this sheep must be worth one or two taels of silver. But when it comes to Chunyu, every time she goes to give gifts, it's always reluctantly for the sake of appearances, never willing to bring a little more." Just then, Qiuyu came home.
Qiu Yu entered the door and happened to hear Tian Shi's words, saying: "Mother can't blame Er Sao for everything. Da Shu is indeed very excessive in doing things, calculating too much, and it's only going in but not coming out. Who can bear it? Everyone is still enduring for the sake of Da Jie's face. To be honest, I have never agreed with you raising these two outsiders. On the surface, it's said that you are raising them, but actually, it's Er Ge's money. What if one day they offend Er Ge and he doesn't give out money? I don't know what you would do. Besides, neither of them is material for studying, so it's all in vain to raise them. They're good at saving trouble and money."
"He dares not to give me money, your second brother I can still eat and live, but your eldest brother I have no choice. However, speaking of which, what has your second sister-in-law been doing these years? How much money did she make? Building that big house, I heard it cost over 100 taels of silver, the school at the village head, the new land and houses they bought, must be worth at least 20 taels of silver. Old two was a good teacher but he just quit without any hesitation." Tian's face showed doubt and curiosity.
"What's that, I heard that Second Aunt's mother is celebrating her birthday, and the clothes and jewelry she wears are worth over a hundred taels of silver. The whole village was stirred up. Think about it, Second Aunt can afford to spend over a hundred taels of silver on these things for her mother, who knows how many good things she bought for herself?" Autumn Jade continued to say.
"Never mind, what's the point of saying these things? Haven't you seen that Second Aunt's watermelon and sweet potatoes are all good? She even raised those chickens and sheep, all earned through her own hard work. After the division of the family property, she finally managed to make a living. We shouldn't have borrowed from her." Xia Yu was afraid that her mother would be unhappy, so she quickly took over the conversation and glared at Qiu Yu.
"That's you, I didn't borrow her light, and she never bought me anything good." Qiu Yu argued.
"Now your second sister-in-law is also clever, starting from last year, she no longer gives me fabric, but directly makes clothes for me and your father and sends them over. Isn't it because she's afraid I'll secretly give the fabric to your older sister? By the way, speaking of your older sister, Wumaowu will be one year old in two days, are you preparing to send something? Now it's a bit difficult with Spring Jade. I've already made arrangements with your second sister-in-law." Tian Shi said.
"That child is also going to be one year old soon, we should prepare some things too?" Xia Yu asked.
"I don't know, you figure it out yourself. Zi He is in the city and Zi Yu lacks nothing. They also don't know if they'll do it or not?" Tian heard this and felt somewhat impatient.
After returning from Yan Village, Shen's wife discussed with her husband whether to hold a one-year-old birthday party for Zi Yu. Zeng Rui Xiang smiled and said: "Don't rush, there is still more than a month left. Last year when the child had their full moon celebration I wasn't by your side, this year I want to make up for it with my little daughter. Besides, this is almost our last child, I must watch her grow up, otherwise all the children will be closer to you." Shen's wife glared at her husband but still felt pleased in her heart.
The days turned into August, and on this morning, Shen was about to take Zi Qing out of the door to buy some festival goods in the city. At the gate, she met Liu Yulan who came to visit. Shen had guessed the other's intention, led her into the house, and after a few polite remarks, Liu explained her intention, which turned out to be what Shen and Zi Qing had each speculated.
The Liu family's new son-in-law, surnamed Wang, has three sons and two daughters. The youngest son is 17 years old and works as an apprentice in a pharmacy for 500 yuan a month. He hasn't been married yet. When he saw Zi Ping the other day, he thought their families were well-matched, but since they are acquaintances, he didn't want to be too rash. Today, he came specifically to ask if the girl's side is interested, and if so, he will send a matchmaker over.
Shen listened thoughtfully for a moment, then asked in detail about the man's family situation. She found out that they had not yet divided their property, and there was still an unmarried younger sister at home. They didn't have any farmland, only one house where the whole family lived together. After hearing this, Shen felt that this matter wasn't very reliable. Zeng Ruiqing and Zhou were both quite proud people. She thought for a moment before saying: "I really can't give you an answer right now, let me ask my sister-in-law's opinion first and then get back to you."
Liu said: "Although there are many children in the family, the eldest and second child are working, the old man said that after the youngest daughter gets married, the family will be divided. Now the youngest daughter is also 14 years old, and the third child has been married for a while and should get married too. So your niece won't suffer when she marries over here because she doesn't have to serve her parents-in-law. The third child earns several taels of silver every year, and in recent years, he has kept all his earnings for himself. In the future, after getting married and dividing the family property, renting a simple house will be enough to support two people, and life will slowly go on."
Shen's family heard that they could separate from their in-laws and didn't have to serve their parents-in-law, so they were somewhat moved and agreed to pass on the message.
When Shen arrived at the Zhou's house, Zeng Ruiqing was not at home. Zi Ping was still next door doing needlework. Shen first asked about the birthday banquet for Zhou's child, and Zhou said it had not been decided yet, and they would have to ask Zeng Ruiqing's opinion before knowing.
"When did sister-in-law decide whether or not to set up a wine shop? Send me a message, and I'll get ready." Zhou Shi agreed.
"Ah, sister-in-law," said Shen, "Xiaoping is also fourteen this year, isn't she? Do you have any suitable families in mind for her? What kind of family do you think would be a good match?"
"No, living in this city is not good, there are only a few familiar households, going back to the countryside would be better, I can find her a farmer husband. I don't want her to suffer, I've already asked my mother's sister and sisters-in-law to help look for a suitable match, do you have any candidates?"
"Shen continued to say what Liu meant, 'I know the conditions of this family are not good, I'm afraid you won't be satisfied, but there's one thing, this child is said to be honest and kind-hearted, in these few years he has earned a lot of money without wasting it, all in his hands. Moreover, the other party also said that after the child gets married, they will separate from their family, he is not the eldest son, so he doesn't need to live with his parents or serve his parents-in-law. I think this makes some sense, so I came to ask you.'"
Zhou asked about the Liu family's situation in detail, and after asking around, she found that it was just as Shen had predicted - not very promising. "Their family conditions are a bit poor, even if the child has money in their hands, how much silver can they have? However, not having to serve the parents-in-law is something worth considering. This, I'm just a woman and can't make the decision on my own, I still need to ask for the opinion of the child's father. Let's discuss it further."
The Shen family had no choice but to bid farewell.