Chapter 177: Chapter 177 Sneaking a Bit In
Due to Zhao Xiaojuan’s inability to bear a son, Zhang Guihua had always been unkind to her over the years, and many things had become a habit.
Now, as she tried to make amends, it was awkward for not only herself but also for Zhao Xiaojuan, who wasn’t used to it.
At first, Xiaojuan was startled by her mother-in-law’s strained ‘smile’, but upon hearing her words, she was beyond flattered.
Although she was shocked, it was a pleasant surprise.
She had long harbored this thought but didn’t dare to voice it to her mother-in-law, for fear that the old lady would criticize her daughter for being delicate.
Now that the old lady had brought it up herself, she naturally nodded again and again, “Yes, thank you, Mom. Da Ya and Er Ya can take care of the chores at home, ensuring that nothing gets neglected.”
“Hmm,” Zhang Guihua hummed noncommittally and left the room.
Da Ya and Er Ya were very happy for their sister when they heard this. As long as Zhaodi could recuperate properly, they didn’t mind doing more work.
Only Zhaodi looked on coldly at everything that just transpired.
She knew her grandmother all too well; she only offered her a break because her work was being done by her two older sisters.
She hadn’t lost anything and had made the people from the second branch foolishly thank her. Her calculations were indeed cunning.
Now that she had been reborn, she wouldn’t let anyone oppress their family to death again!
But at the moment, her head was so groggy that she fell back asleep before she could think clearly, and she slept until dinner time.
Because food cools quickly in winter, eating cold meals can easily lead to stomach problems, and then there would be nobody to do the work at home.
This was a calculation that Zhang Guihua could still make.
Therefore, every winter, Zhang Guihua would specially allow a few girls in the family to sit at the table and dine with everyone.
But because there was not much work in the fields during winter, the girls didn’t need to eat too much, so they each only had a large half-bowl of coarse grains.
Unlike the others, who could add as much as they wanted.
Moreover, at the dining table, anyone who took an extra bite of a dish that had meat would receive a fierce glare from Zhang Guihua.
Fortunately, the porcelain bowls used in the countryside for serving food were generally large, so even half a bowl of coarse grains was enough to fill the girls to about eighty percent.
The girls were accustomed to such treatment and rarely took vegetables during meals, keeping their heads down and eating what was in their bowls.
Only occasionally, when the old lady wasn’t looking, would they sneakily take a bit of greasy vegetable to eat.
Zhaodi’s mood was a mixture of emotions as she looked at the familiar yet strange family.
She held her chopsticks, poking at the coarse grains in her bowl, finding it hard to swallow.
In her previous life, although the money she earned was taken away by her grandfather and grandmother, her food and accommodation were provided by the factory.
The factory, while reluctant to spend much on its workers, saw the rapid development of the country, with rice soon replacing coarse grains and appearing on dining tables nationwide.
Hence even the factory canteen served rice meals with two vegetable dishes, and twice a week there would be a meat dish to improve the workers’ diet.
As the saying goes, it is easy to go from frugality to extravagance but hard in reverse. Having gotten used to eating rice, Zhaodi found it tough to go back to coarse grains, which seemed to scratch her throat.
Zhaodi’s fidgeting went unnoticed by the other members of the Jiang family, who were busy eating, except Zhao Xiaojuan, who saw it.
“Zhaodi, what’s wrong? Hurry up and eat. The food will be gone soon,” she said.
“Hmm,” Zhaodi didn’t want to worry her mother and added another mouthful of rice with her chopsticks.
While she chewed on the coarse grains, her eyes couldn’t help but drift towards Jiang Mianmian, who was eating white rice next to her.
The aromatic white rice emitted a tantalizing scent, causing saliva to uncontrollably seep into her mouth.