Time passed quickly, and two days went by in a blink of an eye. Li had calculated that there was enough food, but there was no vegetables. She was so nervous that she noticed that her mother-in-law didn't eat any sauerkraut or spicy cabbage. She was really afraid that her mother-in-law had lost weight, so she was afraid that the meat and eggs in her hands would be gone. There were still two meals today, what would she do if there were no vegetables!
Li pulled the head of the family and said, "Head, you should think of a solution. Punishing me is a small matter, but if mother becomes thinner and father comes back unhappy, that will be a big deal."
Boss Zhou didn't want to care at first, he supported his mother in training her daughter-in-law, but he had to care about his daughter-in-law's last words. When his father came back, he wouldn't say anything to Li in person, but he would educate him!
When Li saw the head of the household retract his foot after taking a step forward, her eyes lit up and she seemed to understand something. She suddenly stopped panicking and sat steadily on the kang.
Zhou Laoda turned around and looked at his wife carefully. It seemed that something was wrong. However, he did not think much about it and suggested, "Why don't we go buy some tofu to add to the dishes, and then buy some soybeans and grow some bean sprouts to change the taste."
Li's eyes lit up. A piece of tofu costs three cents, two pieces of rice costs six cents, and a pound of beans costs five cents. A pound of soybeans can produce a pot of bean sprouts. "Okay, I'll go buy them now."
When Zhou Lao Da saw Li running away with the purse, he didn't have time to say the rest of the words. If he added more money, Li would fail his mother's three-day assessment. He thought that if his mother didn't lose weight, his father wouldn't look for him, so he let his wife be punished. It would be a good lesson for her. Don't be so stubborn. Eating sauerkraut for two days in a row and having a lot of food left were all the result of the family members having poor appetites!
At noon, Zhulan saw spicy tofu and fermented bean curd.
Li smiled ingratiatingly, "Mom, do you think it suits your taste?"
If Zhulan hadn't wanted to train Li, she would have been unable to resist giving him some special treatment. She glanced at the boss who was paying attention here, and guessed that it was the boss who came up with the idea, "Yeah."
Zhulan ate a lot during the meal, and Li was relieved.
After the meal, when Li had finished cleaning up, Zhulan called someone to the house and said, "I gave you three days' worth of food, but you didn't plan anything at all. How do you think I should punish you?"
Li clenched her hands, leaving marks on them. She admitted her fault in a positive manner, "Mom, I will accept any punishment you say."
Zhulan had been thinking about the punishment. "I will punish you by making you write a menu. Starting from today, I will give you food and grain for the day. You have to write down what the staple food and vegetables are for the three meals. Show it to me after you have written it. You can do it only after I agree. It starts from tomorrow. Okay, go back now!"
This way you won’t screw yourself!
Li's mind went blank. She didn't recognize many words. What should she do? She didn't dare to find someone to write for her. She felt that her mother-in-law was much more terrifying than her father-in-law!
When Boss Zhou and Li came back and heard about the punishment, they were all upset. What was going on? Li didn't know many words to begin with, and she had to force herself to learn them these days. Starting tomorrow, wouldn't she need him to teach her the words she didn't know? Was this a punishment for Li and him at the same time, because he helped Li with her advice
Zhulan snorted. It was true. The boss gave advice. Wouldn't this make Li Shi develop the habit of looking for the boss when she encountered difficulties? This was not okay. This time, she wanted to see if the boss dared to give advice!
Li saw the boss's face was gray, "Boss, what's wrong with you?"
Boss Zhou explained the deeper meaning of the punishment and concluded: "Mom is not only punishing you, but also warning me!"
Li wanted to cry even more. She finally became smart enough to realize that the head of the household was afraid of her father. She hoped that the head of the household would help her more in private in the future, but her mother-in-law directly cut her off. The mother-in-law was so scary!
The next day, Zhulan saw the menu sent by Li. It was written on the back of the paper Mingyun had used. The words were really unbearable to read. Zhulan guessed what the meals would be for the day, and she agreed without wanting to make things more difficult on the first day.
Only then did Li feel like she was alive again and she happily went to cook.
During breakfast, Ming Teng came to Zhulan and asked, "Grandma, are mom and dad going to the clan school too?"
Zhulan, "Why do you ask?"
Ming Teng blinked his big eyes and said, "Because my parents are so hardworking, when I wake up from sleep, they are still learning to read."
Zhulan smiled and said, "So Mingteng should also learn from your parents. Studying is not easy and you need to work hard."
Ming Teng nodded, "I will definitely work hard."
Mingyun listened to the whole thing with a wooden face. Silly brother, your parents were obviously forced to do this, okay? He was a little worried. His younger brother was not as smart as him, so he had to teach him more in the future!
Ming Teng felt a chill on his back and turned to look at his brother. He intuitively sensed danger and smiled ingratiatingly.
Mingyun pinched his brother's chubby face. The boy's figure is tending to be like his mother's. He needs more exercise!
When Zhou Shuren is not at home, all the excitement in the Zhou family lies in the couple in the eldest wife's house, and their days are very lively.
In the county, Zhou Shuren finally finished the exam and was waiting for the results to be announced the next day so that he could go home. He was terribly frozen during those five days, especially his hands, which were a little frostbitten and only felt better after applying ointment.
Early the next morning, the eldest and second Zhou drove an ox cart to the county. The cow at home had given birth to a calf and was able to pull the cart. Zhulan waited for her two sons to leave, but she was worried about him. She was not worried about whether Zhou Shuren did well in the exam, but about his health. She didn't know if he could withstand five days. Even though the eldest son went to the county to see Zhou Shuren and found that he was doing well, she was afraid to report good news but not bad news.
Zhou Shuren didn't get home until the afternoon. Zhulan didn't ask about his grades. She looked at him carefully and said, "You've lost weight."
Zhou Shuren was also looking at Zhulan, "You've lost weight too."
Li felt a chill on her back when she heard this. Her father-in-law was speaking against his will. Her mother obviously didn't lose weight.
Boss Zhou had a strong desire to survive, so he quickly replied, "Mom is losing weight because she's worried about Dad."
Zhou Shuren was happy to hear this and snorted, "That's because you, as the eldest brother, didn't take good care of your mother."
Boss Zhou, “… .”
Dad, if you keep saying that, I won’t be the boss anymore!
Zhou Laoer looked at his eldest brother with sympathy and was once again glad that he was not the boss.
Zhu Lan twitched her lips and pulled Zhou Shuren into the house. "I'm not thin. Tell me, how are your grades?"