Chapter 36: Wanting What You Can't Have

From time to time, someone nearby would whisper and laugh quietly, and Li Xihua became anxious, worrying that they were discussing her behind her back. As a result, everything she ate tasted bland and unappetizing. In the end, Li Xihua hurriedly took a few bites, then claimed she was full and went back to the kitchen to busy herself.

Li Xiyue sneered softly and said, “She’s simply hopeless. Sister-in-law, why did you bother inviting her to eat with us?”

Tang Xin was somewhat displeased as well, partly because of Li Xihua’s temperament, but more so because of Li Xiyue’s attitude. After all, Li Xihua was the eldest sister and had contributed greatly to the family. What was the reason for Li Xiyue’s open disdain toward her?

After the meal, some people naturally took on the task of cleaning up. Li Sheng led his three younger brothers and helped their parents see the guests off. Tang Xin got up and walked into the courtyard. Before her marriage, she had never really visited the Li family’s house in broad daylight to take a good look.

In fact, compared to many mud-and-thatch houses in the countryside, the Li family’s brick-tiled house was much superior, and it was surrounded by a spacious courtyard. It was convenient for the family to grow flowers and vegetables. There were three main rooms; the central one was the main hall, with the side rooms separated off as the kitchen and dining room.

Of the three main rooms, the central hall was the largest, and on both the east and west sides, the main rooms could each be considered two rooms. The east side was where the elderly couple lived. When the house was built, the east was made the primary area, so the extra room there was also quite spacious. The two rooms on the west side were much smaller, as they adjoined the kitchen, storeroom, and such, leaving little space.

Behind the house was a shed for sundries, where firewood and coal were stored. Li Sheng lived on the east side with his two younger brothers, next to their parents, while the two rooms on the west were for the two middle children. Originally, after Li Xihua was married, Li Xiyue lived alone in the smaller, back room. That room was quite secluded, and behind it lay a bamboo grove, making for a pleasant environment.

However, since her elder brother was getting married and could no longer live with the rambunctious boys, Li Kai simply took his two younger brothers to live on the east side with their parents. The west side had two rooms; one was to be the new bridal chamber, while the other, it seemed, would still be Li Xiyue’s.

But the old lady insisted this wasn’t appropriate and had the rooms re-divided. Thus, Li Xiyue ended up living in a tiny partitioned room, and once a bed was put in, there was barely space to move. The larger room was set aside for Li Sheng and Tang Xin as their new marital home.

Given all this, how could Li Xiyue possibly like Tang Xin? Just because a new sister-in-law was coming, the family, who had always doted on her, now seemed to treat her coldly. Besides, Li Xiyue was only younger than Li Xihua, Li Sheng, and Li Kai, but she was already sixteen. In the countryside, many girls her age were already married, and she had been delayed only because her two elder brothers were still single.

Like other girls in the brigade, Li Xiyue harbored boundless hopes for her dream suitor. Naturally, the refined and handsome educated youth were far more attractive to her than the local village boys. She had long had her eye on Lu Liqin, but because of Tang Xin, that young man always treated her with indifference.

But clearly, Tang Xin liked her elder brother and was now her sister-in-law. Could it really be, as Comrade Meng had said, that her sister-in-law was the sort who wished to have her cake and eat it too, not a good person at all?

Of course, Tang Xin was unaware that, after Meng Jia’s continuous persuasion, her little sister-in-law had formed a poor opinion of her from the outset. She was still wandering about the courtyard. In truth, the courtyard was not spacious. The old lady had even claimed two small plots near the wall to grow scallions, garlic, chives, and greens. The Li family’s private plot lay outside the courtyard wall, but it was still quite close.

While Tang Xin was wandering, she spotted Mother Li bringing the washed dishes outside to dry. She hurried over and said, “Mother, let me help you.”

But Mrs. Fang quickly stopped her. “Oh, don’t trouble yourself. You’ve been exhausted these past few days. Take a rest. Your eldest sister’s already washed these. I just need to give them a quick wipe.”

To be honest, with her eldest daughter home, Mrs. Fang truly had much less to do; Li Xihua was busy with chores inside and out. Still, Mrs. Fang felt a pang of sorrow—her poor Xihua had been toiling since she was a child. That was why Mrs. Fang tried so hard to be good to her daughter-in-law. In future, the household would surely be managed by the daughter-in-law. If her two daughters ever needed support when they returned home, wouldn’t they have to rely on her?

Who knew when the wives of the other three sons would arrive? Besides, in most families, the eldest son and his wife took charge. So Mrs. Fang had calculated long-term; her kindness to her daughter-in-law was not without self-interest.

The atmosphere was still pleasant when Li Xihua came out to pour water. She must have overheard the conversation between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, for she said to Tang Xin, “You, being a pampered young lady, probably haven’t done much work since childhood. Don’t go breaking any dishes—many of these are borrowed.”

In the countryside, it was common practice when hosting a banquet to set up several tables, borrowing tables, chairs, benches, dishes, and chopsticks from neighbors. But this eldest sister-in-law, blunt and poor with words…

Mrs. Fang hurried to smooth things over, adding, “Everything must go smoothly for the wedding these days. The bride shouldn’t get her hands wet.” She shot Li Xihua a glare, silently telling her to speak less if she couldn’t speak well.

Li Xihua snorted, stomped her foot, and went back inside to busy herself.

But now, with Li Sheng off to work, and Tang Xin feeling awkward just watching her mother-in-law labor, she simply pulled up a small stool and sat with Mrs. Fang to chat.

Mrs. Fang was pleased. She didn’t get out much, and when she did, people often looked at her oddly. Children, though they supposedly spoke innocently, could be the most hurtful with their words. Fortunately, the Li family had plenty of able-bodied men, so Mother Li didn’t need to go out and earn work points. Gradually, Mrs. Fang grew disinclined to leave the house, spending her days bustling about but with no one to talk to.

Having her daughter-in-law willing to sit and chat was delightful. Looking at the pretty young woman’s smiling face, Mrs. Fang felt very happy. So, the two women began to gossip; Mrs. Fang wiped dishes while telling Tang Xin all the news and rumors from the brigade, while Tang Xin simply munched on sunflower seeds, content to listen.

After a while, Li Xihua came out again, clearly annoyed by her sister-in-law’s relaxed demeanor. Sensing she was about to start criticizing again, Mrs. Fang, not wanting her daughter to offend her daughter-in-law further, simply said, “If you don’t want to stay the night, it’s getting late. You’d better head home early.”

She added, “Take back the red envelope you brought, lest your mother-in-law be displeased. There’s also a small basin of meat and vegetables in the kitchen that I set aside for you. Take it home and have a better meal tonight.”

Mrs. Fang didn’t hide her words, speaking openly in front of her daughter-in-law.