Linfengchun

Kapitel 9

Zhang Hongwei snapped out of his daze and refused curtly, "No way!"

Shang Lin was unconvinced and mustered her courage to speak again and persuade her, but Zhang Hongwei glared at her fiercely: "Let me tell you, stay at home obediently. If you don't want to stay at home, go work in the fields with your grandparents! What the hell is this thing...?"

Xia Lin, who was playing nearby, chimed in: "Juice."

"Yes, juice, don't even think about messing with it! You're wasting so much fruit!"

Fearing she wouldn't take it seriously, he deliberately put on a stern face and reprimanded her earnestly. Shanglin was frustrated; a violent and domineering family education was a key factor leading to poverty! Cutting off someone's livelihood was a crime punishable by heaven—but since the target was her own mother, she could spare her the punishment. She could only mutter a few complaints to herself.

She casually grabbed the quilt, threaded a needle, and lifted the edge. This quilt was part of her dowry, sewn stitch by stitch from the finest silk fabric. When her brother-in-law got married and built a house, he hired craftsmen to stay at their home. It was winter, and the craftsmen only brought one quilt with them. They were freezing at night, so her mother-in-law took her quilt to use as a "weight blanket." After the house was built, the quilt never returned. Her brother-in-law claimed his quilts were made of old cotton and weren't warm enough, so he kept the dowry quilt until his new wife entered the family. She thought that once the new wife was married, her dowry quilt would naturally be returned, right? But the couple acted as if nothing had happened, refusing to mention it. She asked them, but Zhang Chunhua claimed she didn't know, and her brother-in-law claimed he couldn't find it. It was her sister-in-law who secretly told her once that her dowry quilt had been used as a mattress under the new bed!

This infuriated her!

If it's winter, or if there aren't any, she won't mind. They're all family, so it doesn't matter who uses them! But you have more than a dozen quilts in your dowry. Why is your dowry considered precious and you can't bear to lay them under your body, while other people's dowries are worthless?

Taking advantage of everyone playing around in Zhang Chunhua's new house, she pretended to accidentally lift the bed sheet, revealing with surprise that the quilt that had been 'missing' for so long was underneath! Zhang Chunhua's face turned extremely ugly, and she immediately said that she didn't know what had happened and would definitely take it apart, wash it, and return it. Sure enough, the quilt was taken apart, washed, and returned the next day. That night, the couple quarreled. Zhang Chunhua insisted that her husband deliberately embarrassed her by putting someone else's quilt under the bed, crying and saying, "I was also pampered and raised like a precious jewel by my mother. Why should I be given someone else's unwanted junk?"

Listen to that, it's rubbish!

Zhang Hongwei was so angry that he sat in the room and wouldn't go out, letting her deliberately make a scene in his room. Hearing his sister-in-law and mother-in-law try to persuade her, he finally gritted his teeth, threw the quilt deep into the wardrobe, and said, "Ragged? Even if it's really a piece of junk, let it rot in my own room, not just because it's part of my dowry!"

Zhang Chunhua was really outrageous. Even the craftsmen knew to cherish the blankets and use them as quilts, but how could you lay them under your body as a mattress!

Winters in the north are cold, and it's even colder there, as they live near the mountains. Generally, in winter, every household uses two quilts: one close to the body, called a "covering quilt," and the other placed on top of the "covering quilt," called a "pressing quilt." As the name suggests, the pressing quilt is used to block out the cold and suppress the heat.

The craftsmen had used it all winter, and the quilt was still very clean; it could be used directly after just washing the cover. But by the time it reached Zhang Chunhua, it was filthy! Zhang Hongwei initially didn't want to use it, but seeing how hot this summer was, she feared the winter would be colder than last year. Shanglin and Xialin were both growing up, and one bed was becoming too small, especially for Shanglin, who hadn't been sleeping well lately. She had mentioned several times that she should get a wooden board for her to sleep on. She and her husband considered adding a small bed in the room for Shanglin and her brother. This meant they needed more quilts, so they found this one; it would be good to use it as a quilt cover! The cotton in her dowry quilts was spun by her mother herself from cotton bolls, added inch by inch, making it exceptionally thick! Even after only four or five years, it was warm enough to use as a mattress cover. Their west-facing room was in a corner, low-lying, dark, and damp; the children were still young, and they couldn't afford to sit there and get sick.

Zhang Chunhua was pampered at home and was careless in everything she did, such as knitting and needlework. She didn't sew the quilt properly, and it would come undone as soon as she pulled it, so Zhang Hongwei had to redo it.

Thinking about how Shang Lin had subtly rebuffed her aunt several times, Zhang Hongwei chuckled to herself, while also wondering, neither she nor Qiu Jianguo were eloquent people, so who did Shang Lin take after? This guy is full of tricks!

"Let me tell you, no means no. If you dare to disobey, don't blame me for beating you up!"

Shanglin was very frustrated. He had finally found a way to make money, but how could it be cut off?

Xia Lin was still making faces on the side, baring his teeth and mimicking, "I'll beat you up, I'll beat you up!"

His sister glared at him fiercely and raised her hand to hit him, but he jumped back in fright and complained, "Mom, Mom, my sister is going to hit me!"

Zhang Hongwei laughed as he threaded the needle, "Serves him right, even a good beating wouldn't have been enough!"

Xia Lin refused to listen and rubbed against his mother's legs. Zhang Hongwei affectionately patted his spiky head and said, "Your hair is too long and you should shave it. And your sister too. Hey, Shang Lin, when did you cut your hair short?"

She looked at her daughter's noticeably shorter hair with amusement. The braids that used to reach her shoulders were now just a tiny tail, neatly gathered and tied at the back of her head. With each movement, it twitched and bounced, like... a plucked rooster's tail...

Shanglin touched his little tail and chuckled, "I thought it was too hot, so I cut it off."

Actually, she disliked her hair for being dry, yellow, and lacking shine, and thought it better to cut it off and let it grow back. If she weren't worried about Zhang Hongwei scolding her, she would have loved to shave it into a spiky style. Sigh, speaking of spiky hair, does anyone even have spiky hair these days...?

Another provocation

It's the weekend again.

After a day of farm work, I came back covered in sweat. Shanglin had already boiled two pots of hot water. As soon as he saw my parents and everyone else enter the yard, he quickly mixed in some cool water, making it lukewarm, neither too hot nor too cold, and told my parents to take a shower first.

The west room was in a corner, with a narrow alleyway between the eaves. It was usually used to store odds and ends, coal briquettes, and firewood. Hanging a curtain created a separate space, which also served as a bathroom.

Qiu Jianguo was easy to handle; he could just take off his shirt and rinse himself with a basin of cold water in the yard with the men. Zhang Hongwei smiled, picked up the basin, and went into the alley. Shang Lin handed him a towel.

After a while, everyone had finished bathing and were preparing to start a fire to cook. Zhang Chunhua carried a basket of coal briquettes and saw that Shanglin had already lit the fire to cook. She took a coal tongs to pick up a burning coal briquette, and Shanglin kindly let her take one—even though she couldn't take one back in return. Who told Zhang Chunhua to be so greedy! Let her have her way.

She didn't find it funny at all that a four-year-old child like herself was giving way to a twenty-something adult. In her view, Zhang Chunhua's life, filled with competitiveness and a desire to excel in everything, was a farce. In her youth, she had conflicts with her sisters-in-law, quarrels with her in-laws, and arguments with her husband. After having children, she wanted to raise them to be the most outstanding people in the world, but her son was a disappointment. He was weak and timid, completely lacking his mother's fierce genes. He dropped out of school after junior high and hastily married a formidable wife. This fulfilled Zhang Chunhua's wish, thinking she could enjoy the benefits of being a mother-in-law. Little did she know that her formidable daughter-in-law would use all sorts of tricks and schemes to drive her out of the house, forcing her and her husband to rent a house in the village, becoming the laughingstock of the villagers.

Why bother? Taking a step back opens up a whole new world. Keeping quiet is the key to making a fortune. If everyone acted like her, making a big fuss about every little thing, how would she ever get rich?

Zhang Chunhua was known for her sharp tongue. She got coal for free, saving herself the trouble of starting a fire. Instead of being grateful, she should have just kept quiet and cooked. But she refused and insisted on provoking Qiu Shanglin. In her eyes, why should a timid and unyielding little girl repeatedly humiliate her? The girl was young and outwardly very polite, appearing very obedient. But Zhang Chunhua could sense that the girl didn't genuinely respect her. How to put it... she was arrogant to the core, just hiding it beneath her deliberate obedience.

Zhang Chunhua hated this arrogance, and she hated this child. She married into the Qiu family hoping for comfort—although his family was considered respectable in the village, they were far inferior to her own. She thought that marrying into the family would bring her smooth sailing and allow her to have the final say, but she didn't expect to be pressured by her in-laws above and watched by her sisters-in-law below. Her seemingly gentle and easy-to-bully sisters-in-law were also contrary to their outward appearance of weakness, each one picking on others and refusing to give an inch.

Especially in autumn, Shanglin!

Driven by her deep-seated aversion and habitual tendency to nitpick, she spoke up, addressing Zhang Hongwei, who had just finished showering and was smiling as he watched his daughter cook: "Second sister-in-law is so much more comfortable. Her child is obedient, and her older brother is so considerate. Unlike our husband, who doesn't lift a finger and doesn't do any housework. He's a real old man!"

Zhang Hongwei smiled reservedly and did not respond.

Zhang Chunhua, not understanding the concept of knowing when to stop, continued, "But speaking of which, Second Sister-in-law, you took a bath in the alley, didn't you get everything wet? I was wondering why we couldn't get the firewood burning today!"

This guy even has opinions about other people taking a bath.

She believes that apart from individual houses, the entire courtyard space is public and belongs to everyone. Why should your family occupy the alley and treat it as private territory? It's fine if no one uses it normally, but suddenly it becomes someone else's private space, even if the private time is only a tiny bit, she is not happy about it!

Of course, the fact that her room was more than twice the size of Zhang Hongwei's room can be disregarded.

Before Zhang Hongwei could speak, Shanglin laughed, deliberately putting on a well-behaved act, and said in a childish voice, "Auntie, did you start your fire? Didn't you take the coal briquettes from me?" As she spoke, she deliberately picked up a coal briquettes and put them into the stove, using her actions to remind Zhang Chunhua that she hadn't returned the coal briquettes she had taken from her!

These words and actions were like a bucket of cold water on a freezing winter day, dousing Zhang Chunhua's burning passion for war. She immediately became weak and listless, poking at the stove with all her might. This damned stove, why is it not working properly!

Zhang Hongwei pursed his lips with a half-smile, looking at his daughter. The little girl didn't look proud at all. She was seriously stirring her rice with a spoon with a straight face, while instructing her mother: "Go, the vegetables are washed and chopped to prepare for stir-frying."

Zhang Hongwei smiled and was happy to obey orders. He got up and went to get the cutting board.

Zhang Chunhua had become accustomed to being rebuffed. She faced repeated challenges and failures, initially reacting with fury, then resorting to veiled insults, and now remaining unfazed by praise or criticism. It seemed she felt uncomfortable if she didn't get a few jabs a day. Even after being rebuffed, she didn't make a scene, but quietly reflected and tried again next time. To paraphrase Lin's teasing of her younger brother, she humbly accepted criticism but never learned her lesson.

Summer days are long, and today work ended early. After eating, Qiu Jianguo didn't lie down on the bed and act like a big shot. Instead, he was unusually diligent, banging on a wooden plank bed.

Because of Qiu Shanglin's persistent pleading, the couple finally decided to sleep in separate beds, making a small nest for the siblings. The bed boards were readily available, used by the craftsmen who had previously renovated the house. They used to sleep on bed boards propped up on a pile of bricks, but since they couldn't just build a bed on bricks for their own use, Qiu Jianguo bought two long benches, placed wooden planks on them, and laid thick cotton quilts and mattresses on top, creating a cozy nest for the siblings.

Including my uncle, the men laughed and joked as they carried out the extra things from the room, including a coffee table, a table, and a broken sofa. After setting up the small bed, there was basically no space left in the room. Then they carried the coffee table in, and it was completely full with no extra space at all.

Shanglin saw this and felt a pang of bitterness in his heart.

Just then, Zhang Chunhua, always having nothing better to do, spoke up again: "Hey, where did that wooden board we used to store odds and ends go?"

She yelled at her own man.

The younger brother's face froze, and he immediately looked displeased. He knew his wife was picking a fight, but it made it difficult for him to face his second brother.

His face turned cold, and he said in a scolding tone, "Why didn't you say so earlier? You'd be used as a bed board in Shanglin!"

That damned woman! Her second brother and sister-in-law had already told us about it, and we agreed. She didn't say a word when we told her, so why did she have to throw a tantrum at this crucial moment?

Zhang Chunhua, who had been smiling, turned pale upon seeing this and said, "Why are you arguing with me? I just asked a question for no reason. Look at the mess you've made of our house! You don't even know where to put the things on the board. They're all scattered all over the floor like a display stall, and nobody can even put their feet down!"

This statement clearly indicates that the Qiu Jianguo family is after their brother-in-law's wealth.

Zhang Hongwei couldn't hold back any longer and was about to speak when her husband stopped her with a look. Following his gaze, she saw Qiu Shanglin happily playing outside with her younger brother.

At first, she pretended not to hear. After all, bickering and scheming every day would make anyone impatient. But when Zhang Chunhua finished her sarcastic remarks, her face darkened like a rainy day in June. She drooped her eyelids and half-heartedly dealt with her brother.

Zhang Hongwei chuckled to himself, "Hey, serves you right for stirring up a hornet's nest!"

Shanglin had been feeling uneasy these past few days because she wasn't allowed to sell juice, and now that someone had become her punching bag, she was happy to watch the show.

She exchanged a glance with her husband, but neither of them spoke.

Zhang Chunhua waited for a long time, but her second sister-in-law didn't retaliate. Unable to contain herself, she glanced over, just as Shanglin spoke up:

“Xia Lin, our family used to have a really big sycamore tree! When I was little, my sister would play under the sycamore tree. It was shady in the summer and we could collect leaves to make firewood in the autumn.”

Xia Lin readily agreed: "Where are the trees?"

Looking around, there were no sycamore trees in the yard.

Shanglin didn't answer, but continued to mutter to herself: "What a big tree! I remember the trunk was so thick that I couldn't wrap my arms around it. You can imagine how thick it must be!"

Zhang Hongwei chuckled to himself, thinking, "How long can a four-year-old's arm be? Of course, he can't hug it."

Xia Lin continued, "Where are the trees?"

"My sister loves it. There are little birds chirping on it."

Where is the tree?

By this time, the whole family understood the meaning behind Shanglin's words.

The eldest son and his wife exchanged glances across the courtyard, seeing the teasing in each other's eyes. They raised an eyebrow, neither saying a word, waiting to see the spectacle unfold. Shanglin, that boy, was sharp-tongued, and the two had clashed more than once. Everyone was happy to see the usually arrogant and opportunistic Zhang Chunhua get her comeuppance!

Grandpa coughed, put his hands behind his back, and slowly entered the house. At the same time, he called to Grandma, "Honey, come and find me that yellow military uniform. It's getting cold in the morning and evening, and my old bones can't take any more stress."

The two elderly people went into the house at the same time, closed the door, and shut out the dispute between their son and daughter-in-law.

Shanglin didn't continue, but Xialin was very curious and kept twisting his sister's arm, asking, "Where's the tree? Where's the tree? Where's the tree?"

Shang Lin smiled and said, "It flew away!"

Xia Lin: "Huh? It flew away?" He stared blankly at his sister, then looked up at the sky, looking as silly as could be.

Shang Lin pursed his lips and said seriously, "That's right, it flew away. One morning I woke up and heard a buzzing sound. I looked and wow, an airplane had taken it into the sky, and it disappeared in the blink of an eye."

airplane?

Shang Lin glanced at Zhang Chunhua subtly and nodded seriously: "You were too young to remember anything back then!"

Xia Lin let out a cry and looked up at the sky, trying to find traces of the plane that had flown by.

She showed leniency to her aunt, so the tree couldn't really fly up to the sky. Instead, it flew into her aunt's room, and traces of paulownia wood could be seen everywhere, including in the cabinets, desks, and wardrobes.

The sycamore tree was planted by Zhang Hongwei as soon as he entered the house.