Chapter 153: Pulling Up the Seedlings to Help Them Grow

The crucial point was that Madam Fang had never imagined she could earn money herself one day.

And not just any money, but the kind where she didn't have to go out, working right from the comfort of her home.

Having genuinely worked for these past few days, to be honest, she was a little tired, but it was completely worth it.

The moment she laid eyes on the cash, all her fatigue vanished into thin air.

Overwhelmed with excitement and speechless, Madam Fang turned around, hurried back to her room, and carefully hid the money away.

Her daughter-in-law had said that life at home would only get better and better from now on.

Besides, with several strong laborers earning work points, the food supply was more than guaranteed.

She already had dozens of yuan locked safely in her wardrobe for any unexpected emergencies.

As for the wages earned by the two elders this time, Tang Xin had insisted that Madam Fang keep them for herself instead of pooling them into the household treasury.

"In this lifetime, Mother, there are always moments when a person needs to deal with matters independently, so having some money of your own is always a good thing. Besides, Mother, both older sister and younger sister will have to get married eventually. Don't you want to provide a more generous dowry for your daughters?"

It was that very last sentence that deeply touched Madam Fang's heart.

As the birth mother of several children, wasn't her greatest and deepest wish that her children could live happy, carefree lives without worries?

While things might be easier for boys, in this society, the expectations placed upon girls were always much harsher.

As the old saying goes: a man fears choosing the wrong trade, but a woman fears marrying the wrong man—this applied especially to girls.

Who could guarantee that after getting married, her own daughter would truly live a good life at her in-laws' house for the rest of her days?

It was Tang Xin who had taught her that if a girl could stand tall through self-reliance and strength without depending on anyone else,

that was the most fundamental condition for living a better life than others.

Therefore, in the end, Madam Fang quietly put the money away, intending to take it out only when the family or her children urgently needed it.

This was the selfless heart of a parent. Madam Fang never once thought of spending that money on herself and her old partner; instead, she kept it entirely and wholeheartedly for her children.

As for the pile of goods the daughter-in-law had brought back, the two elders were already accustomed to it, knowing well that Tang Xin was a kind and good-hearted girl.

Naturally, Madam Fang praised her daughter-in-law without reservation, showering her with a flurry of flattering compliments.

Tang Xin merely listened with a gentle smile on her face, while Li Kai wept silently in his heart.

Mother, actually I bought all of these for you. Don't you want to shower a little more praise on your second son?

Of course, Li Kai only dared to think this in his heart; he wouldn't dare admit out loud that he was the one who had bought those items.

To use the words of that sharp-tongued dead girl Li Xiyue, their parents were simply biased.

If it was the sister-in-law bringing these things back, their mother would beam from ear to ear and praise her endlessly, but if she knew he had bought them—

Heh, Li Kai feared he might not live to see the sunrise of the next day.

The next day, Tang Xin woke up very early. She washed her face, brushed her teeth, groomed herself, and changed into what she considered her most presentable outfit at the moment.

Because last night she had discussed it with the parents, planning to take them to the county town for a day of leisure.

Naturally, Elder Li declined as usual, claiming not only that it was inconvenient for him to go out with his daughter-in-law, but also that he still had to go to work and how could he possibly ask for leave so casually?

Hearing her father-in-law's words, Tang Xin could only sigh internally. Her father-in-law was just like an old ox, burying his head in hard labor and silently sacrificing himself for the family,

never once knowing how to claim even a tiny bit of benefit for himself.

Tang Xin naturally hoped that she and Li Sheng would work hard enough to make the family's living conditions better and better, so that her parents could finally rest at ease without having to toil exclusively for the sake of their children.

As for now, aside from buying more good food to improve the family's meals, she had no other way to show filial piety to her father-in-law.

Li Kai desperately wanted to go, but Elder Li firmly suppressed him with absolute authority.

"You just went晃 around the county town yesterday, and you want to go again today?"

"I went for serious business yesterday, not to play."

"Then you're admitting you went yesterday?"

Reasoning with this stubborn old man was impossible; Li Kai felt so angry he was about to puff up like a pufferfish.

In the end, it was Tang Xin who put in a good word for him, and Elder Li finally relented, agreeing to help his second son ask the team leader for leave.

Ah, the sister-in-law is truly the best! He must not be the biological son of his parents; he must have been fished out of a pond somewhere, right?

Thus, Li Kai once again solidified his determination to listen carefully to his sister-in-law and help her with whatever she needed in the future.

Since Li Kai was going, and coincidentally the school teachers had matters to attend to today and gave the students a day off, Li Jiang and Li Hai also looked at their eldest sister with eager, puppy-dog eyes.

Naturally, this included the sharp-tongued little troublemaker Li Xiyue sitting nearby.

Li Xihua, however, was quite sensible. She was now the deputy director of the Women's Federation, and recently the production team had many organizational matters requiring busy officials.

She needed to lead by example, working diligently every day without taking casual leaves.

Therefore, in the end, it was Madam Fang, Tang Xin, and Li Kai, accompanied by Li Xiyue, Li Jiang, and Li Hai—a rather large contingent—heading to the county town together.

Madam Fang initially said she didn't want to go, but she couldn't resist her daughter-in-law's sincere invitation, coupled with the children clamoring and insisting that their mother come along.

Naturally, since Li Jiang and Li Hai were going, Gu Nan could not be left behind. Third Uncle Gu had hurriedly shoved his son into the Li family household and promptly departed.

He ran off at top speed, as if someone were chasing closely behind him.

To be honest, Tang Xin found this quite strange, and it finally dawned on her belatedly.

Recently, Third Uncle Gu seemed to visit very rarely; when invited to dinner he refused, and on the rare occasions he came to see Elder Li for matters, he would only wait outside the courtyard without stepping indoors.

Could something have happened?

However, Tang Xin was not someone with an overly intrusive curiosity, so she naturally wouldn't ask such a discourteous question out loud.

She merely reminded the younger ones repeatedly that they were heading to the county town, where it would be crowded and require a lot of walking.

First, everyone had to stick closely together so nobody would get lost; second, if their feet got tired or sore from walking they could rest, but they shouldn't be overly delicate and whiny.

As it turned out, her worries were unfounded. The children of this era were nothing like the spoiled brats of three or four decades later.

How could they possibly complain of hardship or fatigue just from walking for a couple of hours?

In fact, thrilled by the prospect of visiting the county town, the children were in high spirits and chattered noisily all the way.

First walking, then taking a cart, then walking some more, before finally boarding the direct bus to the county town—even Tang Xin felt her toes beginning to ache slightly, while none of the children showed the slightest sign of fatigue.

They arrived at the county town around noon, and Tang Xin generously decided to treat everyone to a meal at a restaurant.

Initially, Madam Fang refused. Early that morning, she had prepared steamed buns and pancakes, intending for them to eat along the way and for the others to have at noon.

Before setting out, her daughter-in-law had explained that unlike riding a bicycle alone, which could be fast, such a large group of them definitely had to take transportation.

Moreover, a major portion of the journey still relied on walking on their two legs, and since they all planned to spend some time enjoying the county town, having a hot, proper meal there at midday would be much better.

As for Elder Li and Third Uncle Gu, there was no need to worry; the eldest sister would take good care of them at home.

Mentioning Third Uncle Gu, Tang Xin sensitively noticed that her eldest sister-in-law's complexion looked slightly off.

Some matters were not yet finalized, and saying too much right now would only be like pulling up seedlings to help them grow.