"Hey, then have a good talk with his uncle. We'll definitely go back after the New Year."
Gu Ruhai still couldn't quite let go of his pride. His family constantly relied on Li Xuemei's elder brother and her brothers Li Weimin and Li Weiqiang for help. Although the two brothers didn't say anything, their sisters-in-law had a lot of opinions.
It was only because of the two brothers' suppression that they dared not speak up. Otherwise, who knows what would happen?
Over the years, it was only Li Jianguo and Zhou Chun who secretly aided them, occasionally sending some grain and money. Otherwise, they couldn't even get half full.
Marrying their daughter led to such a life, and as a son-in-law, Gu Ruhai was really losing face.
Li Xuemei poured a basin of dirty water into the vegetable patch in the yard. In rural households, that's how they water the gardens—nothing goes to waste.
After the family finished breakfast, Gu Xiaojie also got up and insisted on going to the fields. So, the family of five set out in a mighty throng.
Just outside, they ran into Aunt Gui Hua and Feng Meihua from next door, carrying hoes, clearly heading to the fields too. Seeing the whole family, Aunt Gui Hua spoke first, "Oh, Brother Ruhai, where are you taking the whole family? Didn't I see that your corn was harvested a few days ago? The field's been cleared already, what's this about?"
Aunt Gui Hua wasn't a bad person, just gossipy. In modern terms, she loved to gossip about neighbors' affairs but was quite straightforward; the villagers knew it. In the countryside, whose woman didn't have this habit?
After all, life was so tight now. Without some entertainment, life would be too dull.
That's why these women gather to chat and gossip; it brings some life to them.
Men also take this chance to chit-chat about trivial matters.
Gu Ruhai scratched his short hair awkwardly and smiled, "Sister-in-law Gui Hua, we're going to help the second brother harvest corn. The couple went to the city to pay Xiaocheng's tuition, and since I'm free, I'm giving a hand. Otherwise, bad weather would ruin the crops."
Gu Xiaoqing laughed. Her dad was still so naive. By saying this, the whole village would know her dad went to work for free for Uncle Gu Rushan's family again. Half would sigh at Gu Ruhai's honesty, and half would scoff at his foolishness.
Gu Ruhai was just stating the facts, but once the village people talked, by the time the second uncle returned, he'd be talked about badly.
He'd surely grumble to the grandparents, and they might even come over to scold Gu Ruhai.
But that's also a good thing, Gu Xiaoqing thought. At least it would let her dad see the truth about his own relatives' duplicity.
Aunt Gui Hua, just as Gu Xiaoqing expected, looked at them as if they were pitiful. She clucked and unceremoniously said, "Brother Ruhai, it's not that I'm saying anything, but look around Gu Family Village. Check for yourself if any other father's as biased as yours. If you don't stand up straight, these three kids following you are really going to be wasted."
Beside her, Feng Meihua tugged Aunt Gui Hua's sleeve, glanced at Li Xuemei who was already lowering her head, winked, and said, "Hey, it's getting late. We should head to the fields, or we'll miss our work."
With that, she dragged Aunt Gui Hua away.
Aunt Gui Hua and Feng Meihua disappeared from sight.
Li Xuemei snorted heavily. Being spoken to like that in public, she thought it was because Gu Ruhai wasn't assertive enough.
In the whole village, it seemed like everyone in their family could be stepped on. People take advantage of the kind-hearted ones, after all.
But they weren't wrong.
The old man was indeed exceptionally biased.
Li Xuemei glanced irritably at Gu Ruhai, feeling unusually frustrated. For so many years, she hadn't felt like this; why couldn't she bear the gossip after just one night?
She grabbed Gu Xiaoqing and Gu Xiaojie and said, "I'll take the two kids back to their grandmother's. You and Xiao Ying can go. The harvesting is almost done; it should be just half a day's work."
She didn't care about Gu Ruhai's expression and just headed back with the two younger ones.
Gu Xiaoying watched her mom lose her temper for once, then looked at the subdued Gu Ruhai and held back from criticizing him further, "Dad, let's go. We should hurry. Otherwise, if the grandparents don't see us, they'll start nagging again."
Following behind Gu Xiaoying, Gu Ruhai walked silently, feeling just as stifled. Why did everything become so annoying overnight?
Li Xuemei, carrying Gu Xiaoqing and Gu Xiaojie, packed up and set off for their grandparents' home.
Li Xuemei's parents lived in the neighboring village, across a river, not far away. It took them an hour to walk there.
From afar, Gu Xiaoqing saw the mud-brick wall of her grandparents' house. Not many families had brick houses these days; most people still lived in mud-brick houses, tidying up only a little.
Li Qinghai's family wasn't rich,
but it helped that both sons were hard workers. Ever since land contracts were established, they'd managed to contract over a dozen acres each. This autumn would reveal how effective that was.
The old couple didn't live richly but at least comfortably. They wouldn't go hungry or cold. Their only worry was the married daughter Li Xuemei.
That family's life was really discouraging.
But he was just a father-in-law and couldn't stop Gu Ruhai from being over-affectionate.
No matter how you argue, you can't stop a son from being filial to his father.
There was no moral high ground for him.
Still, every time he saw Li Xuemei and the three kids, Li Qinghai felt stifled. Back then, he saw Gu Ruhai as honest and straightforward, without much scheming, a loyal and filial man, and married his daughter off to him, hoping she'd have a good life.
Now, those traits had become fatal flaws, even harmful ones.
But what could he do?
Sitting in the courtyard cutting pig grass, Li Qinghai brooded over his son-in-law's troubles, gnashing his teeth.
His chopping pig grass seemed like he was chopping Gu Ruhai.
This useless man, with no backbone.
Well, he should prepare more grain for his daughter.
Their family surely wouldn't have enough grain until autumn harvest. Now they were just starting to harvest corn; they couldn't eat it without drying it first.
That would be a joke to everyone.