Zhou He’s mother left meekly, probably never daring to seek out Xu Nianji at the market again.
Xu Nianji sincerely thanked everyone and spoke kindly on behalf of Zhou He’s mother, but with the previous comments, everyone felt that Zhou He’s mother was too biased and even hit her daughter, something a real mother wouldn’t do.
It’s a new era now, everyone says, boys and girls are the same, how could she do such a thing?
As the crowd at the bean sprout stall grew, Xu Nianji went back to selling bean sprouts and thought, bullying Xiaohe this way served as a small punishment.
"Sister Liu, I really envy you."
Aunt Hu was cracking sunflower seeds while sitting under a tree, chatting. Though she said that, there was not a trace of envy in her eyes, clearly being sarcastic.
"Hu Aihong, what do you mean by that?"
Liu Sanmei looked annoyed at Aunt Hu, who everyone called so because her name was Hu Aihong.
"No particular meaning, just envying how outstanding the Xu family’s children are." Hu Aihong said gossipy, "Xu Nianji sells bean sprouts in the county, he must make three to five yuan a day, right?"
With bean sprouts only costing twenty cents a pound, she didn’t dare guess higher. She added, "And I heard, Xiong Xihua, Zhang Meixiang, and Liu Xiaoxiu have followed Ji Ying to the factory to work, who knows how much they make a month, but, since it’s factory work, there must be about twenty yuan, right?"
Xiong Xihu, along with three other people, agreed together not to disclose the exact wage to anyone except their own spouses.
By not revealing their actual wages, they wouldn’t burden Ji Ying, not to mention burden Liu Sanmei, Ji Ying’s mother-in-law.
Moreover, they cherished this opportunity to work greatly, wishing others to think they made no money so they could quietly earn their own.
The principle of making a silent fortune was something these three understood well.
"When did this happen?" Liu Sanmei wondered, recalling these days, they seemed to be running to the city every day. She said, daily activities wouldn’t bring them to the city so often, why now every day?
So, there was this happening.
Going to work in the factory meant making money, no matter the amount.
A household should keep its benefits within, why would Ji Ying favor others over her own family?
The more Hu Aihong spoke, the longer Liu Sanmei’s face grew, spurring Hu Aihong on to say, "I find Ji Ying’s daughter-in-law quite nice, speaking so softly and gently."
She had met Zhou He previously when selling dried chili peppers, she had a very sweet way about her, always calling her Aunt Hu and her words were soft, suggesting she was easy to get along with.
"No matter how nice, she’s not yours," Liu Sanmei said irritably, well aware of the discord between Hu Aihong and her daughter-in-law, a fact known by everyone in the village.
Hu Aihong had just been gloating, but suddenly, she stood up as if stepping on a cat’s tail, retorted irritably, "Since Ji Ying and her family moved out, their life is getting better and better."
Liu Sanmei and Hu Aihong glared at each other and started arguing; in the end, neither got the upper hand.
When Liu Sanmei returned home, still in a huff, she saw Zhao Juxiang sitting in the courtyard cracking sunflower seeds and immediately felt displeased, asking, "The factory where Ji Ying works is hiring, did you not know that? You say we are sisters-in-law, but I feel strangers are closer than us."