"Li Huan, stop. It's still daytime. Don't let others laugh at you."
"I'll smash anyone's head if they dare to laugh at me. We are a serious couple."
Li Huan said the harshest words, but he had already stood up. He could ignore what other people said, but he had to listen to what his wife said.
"Let's go see your mother, no, our mother."
Cheng Qiao picked up her cotton-padded sweater and trousers, as well as the pair of rubber shoes she bought last time, and walked towards the living room. Mother Li and Li Le were happily cracking melon seeds. Today was her first day as a mother-in-law, so she had to have fun.
"Mom, Lele, this is for you."
Li Le jumped up and took the clothes from Cheng Qiao. When he saw that they were cotton-padded shirts and trousers, tears instantly filled his eyes. Thinking that today was the wedding day of his second brother and his wife, it would be unlucky to shed tears. He quickly looked up and forced himself to hold back the tears.
"This one is yours, and this one is my mother's."
Cheng Qiao pretended not to see it, and gave a set of maroon cotton-wool sweaters and trousers to Li's mother, and a set of rubber red cotton-wool sweaters and trousers to Li Le.
"My daughter, your money didn't come from the wind, so you can't spend it so lavishly. Let's collect some more firewood now, so that we can heat the kang and it won't be cold anymore."
While saying this, Li's mother kept groping the cotton-padded shirt and trousers with her hands. They were so soft and must be very comfortable to wear.
"Mom, try these rubber shoes to see if they fit you."
"Oh, girl, you are really crazy. Why did you buy such expensive shoes? It's a waste."
"Mom, when we plant rice next spring, with this pair of shoes, your feet won't step into the water. Try it now."
"Hey, let me try..."
Mother Li finally couldn't hold back her tears after a long time, and they fell to the ground drop by drop, and were quickly absorbed by the mud.
"That's right, the size is just right. How do you know what size my feet are?"
Li Huan looked at Cheng Qiao at what his mother said unintentionally. Yes, he himself didn't even know what size his mother's feet were, so how could Cheng Qiao know
"That's easy. I can tell at a glance that Li Huan wears size 40 shoes, Lele wears size 33 shoes, and I wear size 36 shoes."
"Second sister-in-law, you are so amazing, I just can't tell."
Li Le smiled and flattered her.
"Mom, Lele, you guys should take a good bath, change into new clothes, and have a good sleep. Tomorrow our whole family will go to the mountains to collect firewood, okay?"
"Okay, I'll listen to my second sister-in-law. I'll go boil some water later."
Li Le agreed immediately. She really wanted to wear that set of soft cotton-padded clothes. She had never known how it felt to wear them since she was a child.
"I'm going to find someone to dig a well tomorrow. You guys better be careful and don't go into the mountains, okay?"
Li Huan said seriously that if he didn't need to find someone to dig a well, he wouldn't be willing to leave Cheng Qiao even for a moment.
"Okay, you two go back to the house, we'll take care of this."
Mother Li waved her hand, wanting to drive the two to the new house. Cheng Qiao lowered her head shyly, but Li Huan shook his head and looked at Mother Li and said:
"Mom, let me tell you something. From tomorrow on, my wife will be in charge of the housework. Lele will help my wife."
Mother Li's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that her son had gotten married and forgotten his mother? She wanted to ask him about it, but Cheng Qiao was beside her, so she was too embarrassed to ask.
"Second brother, starting tomorrow, will Second Sister-in-law be the one in charge? Will the money and food of the family be handed over to Second Sister-in-law?"
When Li Le heard Li Huan say this, he quickly raised his head, opened his eyes wide, looked at Li Huan and asked.
"No need. You should keep all the money you and mom earn, as well as the money your eldest brother gives you. Leave the money at home to me and my wife. It's time for you to go to school, and it's time for mom to enjoy her life."
Mother Li finally understood what Li Huan meant, and a huge weight was lifted off her shoulders. As long as her son didn't despise her as an old woman, it would be fine. Otherwise, her eldest son wasn't married yet, and Li Le wasn't married yet, so she couldn't live without money.
"School, but the semester is almost over."
"Then go in the spring. Your second sister-in-law has already bought you books and notebooks. When you hibernate in the winter, you can learn culture from your second sister-in-law every day."
"I… "
"Le Le, listen to what your second sister-in-law and second brother say. It's very different for a girl to know how to read or not know how to read. Do you know that?"
Mother Li didn't expect that Cheng Qiao would send Li Le to school on the first day of her marriage. This was a good thing, so how could she not support it? But Li Le, this silly girl, seemed unhappy.
"Mom, does our family still have money for me to go to school?"
"have"
Cheng Qiao and Li's mother said in unison, and Li Huan felt warm in his heart. He hugged Cheng Qiao's slender waist in front of his mother and sister. With a wife like this, what else could a husband ask for
"Mom, when I finish finishing the house over there, we will move in, and you and Lele will sleep in the new house."
"No, you should keep it for your elder brother."
"I don't know when my brother will be back. You and Lele should go to bed first. It's too cold in winter. Don't freeze to death."
Mother Li smiled and nodded in agreement. Every winter, Lele would cling tightly to her arms, but they were still shivering with cold. Even if they heated the kang, it was useless because the house was leaking everywhere.
"We've finished lunch. I'm going to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Lele, can you help me get some firewood?"
Li's mother wanted to stop them, but was stopped by Li Huan. He took Li's mother into the bridal chamber and took out five or six pieces of cloth from the closet: "Mom, please make a few sets of clothes for Lele and Cheng Qiao, and you should also make two sets."
Mother Li looked at the fabrics of various colors, all of which were khaki fabrics for making coats, and nodded to accept them. She knew what her son was doing, so she went back to her room without asking any questions.
Cheng Qiao turned around and went to the kitchen, found a few empty clay pots, and asked Li Le to wash them. Then the pots could be used to store rice, flour and oil.
He looked around and saw that there was no one around. A piece of fat pork appeared on the stove. Cheng Qiao quickly washed the pork, cut it into pieces, put it into a big pot, added water, and prepared to make lard.
When Li's mother smelled the aroma of lard in the room, she hurried out, snatched the spatula from Cheng Qiao's hand, and drove Cheng Qiao out of the kitchen. How could a new daughter-in-law cook on the first day she came home
Cheng Qiao secretly stuck out her tongue. She had just put more than ten kilograms of rice and flour, as well as pork and bacon in the kitchen. She didn't believe that her mother-in-law would not cook such a good thing. After all, today was a good day for her and Li Huan to get married.
Sure enough, there was meat, white flour buns and a pot of rice porridge for dinner. The four of them sat at the table and ate with relish. Just after they finished their meal, a group of young people came to the bridal chamber to make trouble.
After Li Le and her mother cleaned up the table, they put a big pot on the table to boil water and returned to their room, thinking that after the bridal chamber was over, they could lock the door, take a bath and go to bed.
Just a burst of noise came over, attracting Li's mother and Li Le who were making clothes.