Chapter 35: Riding High and Wielding Power

Tang Xin could not help wanting to sigh. Why did this person have to be so awkward and unpleasant in her speech? In truth, the one who worked hardest in this family was the eldest sister, juggling everything inside and out, yet few ever showed her gratitude. Everyone feared her sharp tongue; apart from Father and Mother Li, was there anyone in the family who hadn’t been retorted by her?

Miss Tang, feeling indignant, naturally voiced her displeasure directly and simply ordered her own husband to help out. Seated next to Li Sheng was the brigade leader, who nearly interjected on his behalf, “Why don’t you do it yourself?” In their eyes, a woman should never order a man around. Yet the brigade leader was secretly relieved he hadn’t spoken, for before he could say a word, Li Sheng had already stood up and headed towards the kitchen.

The brigade leader was momentarily stunned, but then silently chuckled. Who would have thought Li Sheng was such a doting husband? No wonder all the girls in the brigade had refused to marry him before. If only they’d known, they’d surely regret it now.

In the kitchen, Mrs. Fang and her daughters were busy, not only tending the fire and cooking but also steaming rice and buns. Mrs. Fang knew her eldest daughter cared for her, so during these days at her maiden home, she had constantly helped with the chores. Watching Xi Hua, who had been working since early morning and was now so tired she could barely straighten her back, Mrs. Fang’s heart ached for her own daughter. So she said, “Xi Hua, you tend the fire, and I’ll steam the buns.”

But Li Xihua snorted. “Forget it, old woman, don’t meddle. These are wedding pastries, not just leftover steamed buns for family to eat.” There it was—even her own mother couldn’t escape her retorts.

Tang Xin could only shake her head. With this temperament, it truly was difficult for people to like the eldest Miss Li. Yet she was genuinely kind and hardworking, never complaining, and in the original novel she was ultimately worn down to death by her husband’s family.

So Mrs. Fang quietly continued tending the fire, her gentle nature always yielding, whether to daughter, sisters-in-law, or anyone else in the brigade—she rarely contradicted anyone. Their local custom was that the day after a wedding, the family would send wedding pastries as gifts to relatives and friends—a token of gratitude. All the pastries were homemade, and they had to be both delicious and attractive, with special attention paid to every detail.

Not only Mrs. Li but even Li Xihua was delighted; her little brother was finally married. For the Li family, this was the most significant event in years; a little extravagance was nothing.

While Li Xihua was speaking with her mother, Li Sheng entered from outside and told his big sister to go eat at the table. Seeing her tall brother in the kitchen, Li Xihua became flustered, “Oh, it’s smoky and hot here, what are you doing in the kitchen? Go outside, Mother and I can handle it.”

Naturally, she didn’t mention Li Xiyue, the youngest girl in the family, who was always pampered.

Li Sheng, his face stern and imposing, replied, “Either I do it, or we get Auntie from next door to help. Mother and big sister, you both go eat.” Though he always looked frighteningly serious, Li Xihua knew this was his way of caring for her and their mother.

Bitterness welled up in Li Xihua’s heart. The family’s hard life had delayed everything; otherwise, with her brother’s qualities, he would have married long ago. From a young age, he was sensible and helped their parents alongside her. Later, he found a good job and spent at least ten months a year working away from home, braving wind and rain, handing every earned penny over to their parents.

Li Xihua had wanted to offer her newly-wed brother and his wife some advice, hoping his days ahead would be warmer and happier with a considerate partner, but what she said was, “That city wife of yours is delicate. You need to act like a real man and not let a woman lord over you.”

Li Sheng, not a man of many words but always protective of his wife, immediately replied, “Sister, don’t say that. Tang Xin is a good woman.”

Li Xihua wanted to sigh again—was it that hard to get married, that every new bride now looked like a goddess? She couldn’t deny her new sister-in-law was beautiful, but in the countryside, beauty meant little. A woman needed to be capable of bearing children and working hard.

Knowing her brother’s stubbornness, she feared that if she didn’t eat, he really would stay in the kitchen working. She couldn’t let him lose face, so, resigned, Li Xihua took off her apron, tidied her clothes, and went out to eat.

She couldn’t bear for her mother to be overworked, but she also couldn’t trust outsiders with the kitchen. In the end, it was Li Sheng who found a solution, sending Li Jiang to fetch the neighbor woman to help steam the buns, and assigning Li Hai to supervise.

Tang Xin handed each of them an apple, and the two little boys were overjoyed, wishing they could help their sister-in-law every day.

The other things in the warehouse were ordinary, but Tang Xin knew apples were especially rare. In these times, people were too busy just trying to fill their bellies to bother tending orchards, making fruit a scarce commodity in the markets. Especially in the countryside, the team might have a few date or tangerine trees, but they were neither fertilized nor grafted, yielding only sour and astringent fruit.

Apples, a fruit from the north, were rare even to the original Tang Xin, who grew up in the city. She had only tasted them a few times, as special rations from her father’s workplace—small, not very sweet, and cut into tiny pieces by her mother so everyone could have a taste. For rural people at this time, apples were a true delicacy.

The apples Tang Xin gave out were large, sweet, and fragrant—clearly high quality. Seeing the two little boys so happy with their gifts, Tang Xin decided she’d take out some more apples later for her mother-in-law to distribute as return gifts to the relatives who had come to help in recent days. Not too many—two per household would suffice, though the brigade leader should get a few more.

There were already several hundred pounds of apples in her warehouse, and fortunately, the preservation function worked well—grains and produce were all properly stored. With a few more harvests, she would have enough points to exchange for processed goods. After all, it would be odd to bring out raw rice and wheat directly. If she could turn them into rice and flour and find a suitable pretext, she could help her mother-in-law make delicious food.

Tang Xin got up and invited Li Xihua to sit beside her, motioning Li Xiyue to move down a seat. Li Xiyue pouted unhappily—what was wrong with sitting next to her sister-in-law? Look at big sister, all dusty and disheveled; was her sister-in-law not afraid of being embarrassed by her?

Li Xihua sat down, heart full of unease. After all, the table was full of men; the new bride was her sister-in-law, and the youngest was just a girl. Was it really appropriate for her to sit among them?