Zhulan immediately thought of Wang Laosi's house. The house Wang Laosi rented had not been occupied for a long time, and the family had moved in without spending any money to renovate it. "It should be Wang Laosi's house!"
Li was stunned, and she was gloating over the excitement, "Wang Laosi's family is so unlucky. Mother, I'll go take a look."
Zhulan was too lazy to care about Li, but she didn't agree that Wang Laosi's family had their roof collapsed because of bad luck. Wang Laosi was a real farmer, so how could he not know how to tidy up the house and clear the roof during the heavy snow? He just had no money.
Zhou Shuren had been away from home for more than half a month, and Wang Laosi's family hadn't bought spicy cabbage for a while. Wang Ru was very capable and sold the spicy cabbage the next day. Although she didn't make any money, she broke even. This also allowed Wang Zhangshi to see the cash from selling spicy cabbage. Wang Zhangshi has been busy for the past half month, doing all kinds of things just to get money, and those who want to take advantage of the village also joined in. It was the first time that Wang Laosi was flattered and he lent him a lot of money on a whim.
Zhulan got a lot of information from Li. At the beginning, everyone in the village praised Wang Laosi, but then the news spread in the village that Wang Laosi was stingy and his reputation became worse and worse. She knew that Wang Laosi didn't have much money. She looked down on Wang Laosi's character. Although he looked simple-minded, he was still a member of the Wang family at heart, selfish and self-righteous.
Zhulan went to find Zhao with the leather. She and Zhao had learned how to make shoes for a while, but she still needed Zhao's help to make boots, as she could not do it by herself.
Zhulan really likes modern big-toed cotton boots, but Wang Ru can't make them, so she can only make ancient boots.
In Zhao's room, the eldest granddaughter huddled on the kang to warm her feet, her shoes already soaked through.
As soon as Zhulan said that she didn't have to worry about getting her shoes wet when making boots, her eldest granddaughter Yushuang ran over happily.
"Grandma, do I have one too?"
Zhulan felt so soft at heart when she heard the little baby voice, "Yes, we have them at home, one pair for each person."
Yushuang was very happy, "I can play outside now, and I don't have to worry about getting my shoes wet anymore."
Zhulan touched her granddaughter's little head. She was so cute. She pinched her face, then touched her ears. The little girl felt so itchy that she giggled. Zhulan played with her for a while, then the little girl felt sleepy and fell asleep soon.
Zhao said in a low voice: "The mother's skin has been cut."
Zhulan picked up the small leather and said, "Do it for the children first."
Zhao felt sorry for her daughter's red feet. She knew it was made for her daughter as soon as she saw the size of the leather. She smiled and said, "Okay, mother."
Zhulan was very satisfied with the current way of getting along. Ever since she knew about Zhao's disguise, Zhao seldom cried in front of her. It was just that the disguise was ingrained in her bones, and sometimes she couldn't help it. Zhulan also understood. As for asking about Zhao's process of fleeing famine, Zhulan never intended to ask. Fleeing famine was a memory that Zhao didn't want to recall. What was done was done. She was not the kind of person who would open up scars.
Shoes are not easy to make, especially cotton boots which have very thick soles. Zhulan and Zhao spent a whole day making only two pairs for the children, one for Yushuang and one for their second grandson Mingteng.
Although it's not very beautiful, it makes the two little ones very happy. They even went out to play in the snow for a while. When they came back, they were surprised to find that the shoes were not wet. They treasured them and had to put them where they could be seen and stare at them without blinking.
For dinner, we made dumplings. The white flour was not mixed with cornmeal at all. The dumpling skin was made of pure flour. Although it was called white flour, it was not pure white and was a bit yellowish.
While making dumplings, Li was talking about the bustle at Wang Laosi's house. It took a whole day to clean the house, but it was no longer habitable. Fortunately, no one was injured, but a lot of things were ruined, and many people who helped took advantage of them secretly.
Zhu Lan asked, "Where will Wang Laosi and his family stay tonight?"
Li looked at the excitement of the day and shook her head. "I don't know. I thought I could make a house to live in after cleaning it up, but I didn't expect it to be uninhabitable. I hadn't decided when I left!"
Zhao was worried. "Mom, Wang Laosi has offended a lot of people recently because of the money he has. I am afraid of getting into trouble and don't want to get involved with Wang Laosi's family. They won't come to our house, right?"
Zhulan paused in rolling the dough. According to Wang Laosi's train of thought, it was really possible. She said with a lack of confidence: "It shouldn't be!"
Zhao really didn't want to get involved with a fool, especially a fool with a sick brain, "Mom, what if he comes?"
In the yard, Zhou Laoda shouted, "Second brother, fourth brother is looking for you."
Zhulan, “… … ..”
Li complained to Zhao, "Sister-in-law, you are the one with the bad mouth!"
Zhao covered her chest and told herself again and again not to bother with the idiot, but the idiot was too annoying. What a bad mouth, it was clearly an analysis. She got so angry that her eyes turned red and tears flowed down her cheeks, "Sister-in-law, you are wronging me."
Li was very proud. Zhao had been very close to her mother these days, and was even more attentive than she was. She finally got her chance. The second son's wife was an unlucky person, and her mother would definitely stay away from her this time. "Humph, you still say no, but trouble comes when you mention Wang Lao Si. Don't you know that everyone dislikes Wang Lao Si's family now?"
Zhulan, "... ..."
She especially wanted to say that the kitchen was not soundproof at all, especially Li's voice was particularly loud, and the door was ajar, so the people outside could hear it clearly, and Li attracted another wave of hatred.
Wang Laosi's face flushed, and he didn't wait for Zhou Laoer to come out. He glared in the direction of the kitchen angrily and said, "We'll leave to avoid being annoying."
Zhulan looked at Li with a smile, "Well done."
Li, "Mom, what did I do?"
Zhulan, “… … ..”
Don't get mad at idiots!