Read Novel Full Chapter 44.2
Chapter 44 2/2
But Sang Lou had invited almost their entire family. Although the reason was that her two sons and three grandchildren had been helping out, she had also brought her eldest daughter-in-law, her elderly parents, and her youngest grandson and granddaughter. However, her enthusiasm and thoughtfulness were so widespread that they made people feel especially comfortable.
Mrs. Lu continued, “Huzi told me that even he was included in the invitation, and Xiao An and An Ning specially went to invite a few children. With this in mind, most of our extended family will be attending. I think Alie’s wife hasn’t prepared anything in particular. As for vegetables, we’ll just pick some from each family. Since there are so many of us going over, we’ll just pick some from our fields and bring a basketful. I assume you’ve also planned for this?”
Mrs. Chen and the two sister-in-laws from the Shi family nodded. “That’s exactly what we had in mind. We’ll bring some produce from our own fields to save her from having to buy everything.”
Mrs. Lu smiled and said, “In our area, it’s customary to bring rice for the host. Bringing in rice and oil ensures the rice jar is never empty, bringing in oil brings prosperity, and bringing in both ensures everything is covered. Sang’s family is from out of town, so I thought it might be a good omen if we add a little more?”
Mrs. Chen chimed in, “That’s exactly what I was thinking. This house-building is a big deal, and although we’re usually frugal, we can’t skimp at times like this. We need to ensure prosperity and wealth.”
Mrs. Lu glanced at the sister-in-laws from the Shi family, and they both nodded and smiled. Shi Erlang’s wife said, “My sister and I also discussed this. Tomorrow morning, we’ll go to the market and buy six taels of pork. Then we’ll buy a jar and fill it with oil, and buy a bamboo basket from the grocery store and fill it with a liter of rice. My second uncle will also go and gather some firewood. It’s not much, but with rice, oil, and firewood, it’s considered adding some auspiciousness and prosperity.”
Mrs. Chen and Mrs. Lu both smiled. Mrs. Chen praised repeatedly, “That’s quite generous, indeed a generous gift. You sister-in-laws are thoughtful.”
Pork and firewood aside, even six taels of pork, plus buying a jar and a basket, would cost at least twenty copper coins. In a rural household, even spending two copper coins would be a bit of a struggle, so spending over twenty coins as a gift, even if it’s divided between the two families, is really showing how much they value Sang’s work.
Mrs. Lu also nodded.
The two old ladies exchanged a glance, and Mrs. Lu said, “Sister, why don’t our two families follow the Shi family’s lead? We can each bring our own vegetables, but why don’t we add the same portion of rice, oil, and firewood?”
Mrs. Chen nodded and said with a smile, “Alright, the three families will prepare the same items.”
After saying this, she looked at Mrs. Lu and the sister-in-laws from the Shi family and said with a smile, “There’s one more thing. As you might know, my daughter and Alie’s wife are very close. My daughter goes to the county with Alie’s wife to sell things every day. I won’t hide it from you. I can’t go into specifics, but they’ve also made some money. So besides what we just discussed, my family is also thinking of adding a straw mat. It’s already half done.”
She pointed to the unfinished work on the ground in the room and said, “Alie’s wife is very fond of her two children. She asked
for some land from our family to make another bed for Xiao An. The bed is still being made, and I took the measurements first and prepared for it. It should be finished by the time of the housewarming feast. It’s also considered a gift.”
Sang Lou had some ability to make money, and the Shi and Lu families had been eating well for the past ten days, so they had noticed a little bit.
It’s not just about the rice and meat they had been providing every day, which wasn’t something that could be afforded by just selling a few bundles of wild vegetables.
It’s just that Sang Lou brought back two loads of wooden barrels from the mountain path every day, avoiding the villagers.
Both families were working there. These things couldn’t actually be hidden. If you don’t pay attention for a day, will you still not notice after seven or eight days?
Unless Sang Lou directly stopped her activities during the house construction.
It’s obvious that Sang Lou didn’t intend to hide this aspect, so Mrs. Chen dared to hint at it, and Mrs. Lu and the women from the Shi family understood it immediately.
Both families had their own sense of propriety. Mrs. Chen said what she said, and they listened. They knew that Sang Lou was acting in secret from the villagers, and they never said anything inappropriate about it outside.
Mrs. Lu smiled and said, “That’s right, it’s your goodwill. We just need to keep a good appearance on the surface. There’s nothing more to say; everything should be more or less the same.”
Relationships have their degrees of closeness, and gifts are given according to one’s own intentions.
Moreover, Mrs. Chen was willing to openly leak such a sentence to them, indicating that Sang’s family was also quite trusting of both their families.
Although Mrs. Lu didn’t know what Qin Fangniang and Sang’s family were selling in the county, she felt that when it came to relationships, what should be known would be known. When true friendship was involved, what they should know, they would know. Keeping a distance, not asking or probing, was the right approach. She gave the same instructions to her own two sons and several grandsons.
Shi Erlang’s wife was somewhat curious. When her husband talked about this matter at home, she felt a bit restless, like a cat scratching. After all, who wouldn’t be curious about ways to make money?
However, her sister-in-law specially advised her several times to suppress her curiosity.
“If others don’t want you to know something, if you can’t control your curiosity and pry into it, then the scant friendship we have will come to an end.”
“If you truly envy Qin Fangniang for making money, then at least do as the Chen family does. Pay attention to how the Chen family interacts with Sang’s family. Even if Sang’s family won’t bring us along like they do with Qin Fangniang, she still has the ability to make money and support her family in her situation. That takes skill. Even if they don’t bring us along, it’s never wrong to befriend capable people.”
That was precisely what Shi Erlang’s sister-in-law said.
Despite Shi Erlang being the only male in the household, when it came to important matters, both he and his wife actually listened to his sister-in-law.
So the couple were very obedient. Shi Erlang, who was much shrewder than Lu Dalang, became less shrewd. He listened to his sister-in-law and never leaned towards the grassy side of the hut. Apart from building houses, he didn’t pay attention to things he shouldn’t, and if he did see something, he turned a blind eye, pretending he hadn’t seen anything. Of course, he had never actually seen anything.
Shi Erlang’s wife, who loved gossiping with the village women, also kept her mouth shut. If she couldn’t hold it in, she would go home and whisper to her sister-in-law, venting her gossip there, and then she’d be fine when she went out again, her mouth no longer itching to blab.
With one or two understanding people in each family, a very peculiar balance and understanding formed among the Shi family, the Lu family, the Chen family, and the eldest branch of the Shen family regarding the matter of Sang Luo and the Chen family’s undisclosed methods of making money.
Shi family, Lu family: “We know you have secrets, but if you don’t say anything, we don’t know anything, and we won’t speculate.”
Sang Luo: “I know you know I have secrets, but if you don’t look or ask, I’ll pretend you don’t know anything either. We can get along by observing and not prying.”
Chen family: “I see everything; that’s fine. The people we deal with are all understanding.”