Chapter 93 - 82: Mother-in-Law’s Guidance

Watching the departing car, the large group of Zhang Family members walked towards the courtyard, with Mother Zhang leading the women to Zhou Jiao’s room.Upon entering, Zhou Jiao burst into laughter once more. Zhou Jiao looked at everyone and asked Mother Zhang, "Mom, have they all left?" Mother Zhang sat on the kang, nodding her head, "They all left, your mother took Xiao Xizi along, they’ll come back tomorrow. Did Xiao Wu’s clothes get taken along?" "All prepared. If not, I’ll have him buy it. All the tickets are brought along. The provincial city should be pretty convenient. Following my grandpa, there’s no worry about having no place to sleep or eat. Eldest Sister and Second Sister, you’re not going back tonight, right?" Zhang Meili looked at her sister, "Not going back. We’ll leave early tomorrow morning, brought all the kids over." Zhou Jiao looked at Mother Zhang and sweetly smiled at her, "Mom, you see, it’s rare for Eldest Sister and them to stay a night. How about we have lamb soup for dinner as a family tonight?" "Okay, I’ll have the mutton noodles ready for you. Your dad also says eating lamb warms you up, and there’s still quite a bit at home. There’s a lot of dishes at home tonight, no need to cook more." "Mom, we should at least stew a small chicken. You can’t treat your son-in-law like this when he visits." After speaking, she winked at Mother Zhang with a smile. Mother Zhang chuckled contentedly, "Just right, the small chicken stew is ready but untouched, we’ll have it for my son-in-law this evening." Zhou Jiao looked at everyone, "What do you think, Eldest Aunt and a few of the cousins went over to help today. What should I prepare to send over? Mom, you have to teach me; I don’t understand these things." Everyone exchanged glances and all focused on Mother Zhang, who thought for a moment, "It’s okay not to send anything. Normally, the leftovers are saved for those who help, and today I packed the unused leftovers from the kitchen for them. If you’re worried, when Xiao Wu returns, buy some candy for their kids. Giving too much isn’t good; then when we help them next time, they’ll feel embarrassed. Have your eldest uncle and youngest uncle over for drinks tonight, that’s about it." "Okay, I don’t know these things, so Mom, remind me if I do something wrong. Also, could you bring the bunch of eggs outside to the kitchen when you have time? Tomorrow, I’ll send some with the two elder sisters to take back home for the kids to eat." Mother Zhang hurriedly shook her head, "No need, just leave them there. It’s not bad weather, just leave them. If they want to eat eggs at home, you can keep yours to eat slowly. How many eggs can one really eat in a month? Just worry about not having enough. Your sister can’t take them, or it’ll make people laugh at her. You just focus on your confinement, and I’ll pack some brown sugar from the jar. It’ll keep well. I’ll sort everything out for you. Next year when your family separates, social obligations will be your responsibility. Do you know how much needs to be repaid annually? Save these, so when someone in the village has a baby or there’s a red or white event, you’ll have gifts. Where would you get brown sugar then? You only got two pounds of sugar coupons when you married. Brown sugar is even harder to buy; to trade for red stamp coupons, you need connections. Even in rural areas, they don’t have it. When your two sisters-in-law were in confinement, it was a crisis item. They could only eat a pound in a month, making others envious. Now, in the city, it’s only four ounces per person per month. Where would you find it in the countryside? Save it. Until a few years ago, only grain and oil tickets were limited. This year, from the second half of the year, they’ve added meat coupons, and in the city, egg and sugar tickets. In the future, who knows what tickets will be needed, so save whatever you have. Who knows when another ticket will be required?" Zhou Jiao secretly admired her mother-in-law for being so experienced; they would indeed need tickets for everything in the future, "Mom, will there be markets for New Year’s this year?" Mother Zhang nodded, "Yes, this year’s second half will still have markets, but expect little meat. Once city people buy it, there won’t be much left. If we slaughter pigs, half or all the meat might need to be sold to the commune for meat coupons. Taking meat coupons isn’t worth it; our pigs are weighed with the skin, but the coupons are for net weight, so it’s usually turned into cured meat. Now it can only be bought secretly. Some people secretly raise their own animals, and the market could have food and other goods aside from grain and meat. Last year, you could buy everything except grain, so once your confinement ends, you can visit the market." Lin Juhua looked at everyone and said to Mother Zhang, "Mom, is our family slaughtering pigs this year? If so, we need to search for piglets early, or it’ll be after spring next year." "Indeed, we won’t slaughter this year, but until you separate, we’ll do it then. Wait until spring to buy piglets; otherwise, there’s nothing for them to eat now. This year, see which family in the village slaughters pigs, make arrangements with them in advance to send it over for payment." Mother Zhang thought it over and ultimately decided, after next spring’s separation, they could choose to raise them if they liked. Zhang Meihao sighed, "You have no idea how hard it is to buy things in the city now compared to before. Every month you have to line up from two or three in the morning for the supplied items, or else you’ll only get the worst or nothing at all. It’s better in summer, but in winter, what can you do? My mother-in-law just said when Eldest Sister moves near us, it’ll finally be possible to hold spots for each other in lines." Huang Cuilan looked at Lin Juhua and Zhou Jiao, "Did Eldest Sister buy a house? When did that happen? We had no idea. When’s the move? Let the family help. Have the dates for the housewarming been set? We need to prepare too." Zhang Meili laughed and said to her, "Just paid the deposit, once the full payment is made tomorrow, we’ll get the deed. No rush, there’s nothing much to move. The other party is leaving all their furniture, just taking clothes and food. We’ll wait for Xiao Wu to return to hold the housewarming, and I’ll let you all know. You don’t need to prepare anything, just come and have fun." "See if your father-in-law is free tomorrow, remember to invite him over too. Even though you’ll have divided from the family, he still needs to be respected. Informing him will make him happy, and invite the elderly over to stay with you when you’re free," Mother Zhang instructed her, then told her daughter-in-law, "You don’t need to prepare a lot of things. I’ll handle the preparations. Tell me if anything’s missing when the time comes." Huang Cuilan looked at the other in-laws and nodded, "Listen to Mom. Handle it according to city habits, don’t follow village ways and make Eldest Sister’s neighbors laugh." Zhang Meili glared and put on a stern face, "You three better not cause trouble, whether city or village customs, just stick to the village standards. Don’t make it seem like we’re flaunting with the move. If the neighbors have shallow views, we’ll just avoid them. Mom, don’t listen to them. The family isn’t well-off, relying on work credits, be thrifty and leave some resources for my brothers. A married daughter like spilled water shouldn’t make a fuss for appearance’s sake that burdens our family. Otherwise, I won’t be responsible." Everyone nodded with laughter, agreeing to follow her lead, but still thought to ask around. Nowadays, they wondered how things were arranged. Mother Zhang knew she wouldn’t make everything grand, but she wouldn’t let her daughters be embarrassed. The eldest daughter had the worst of it for those years and couldn’t afford a dowry, so she received a gold ring. This time she’ll discuss it well with her husband. Everything at home requires money. They wished every penny could be counted as two.