Li Zhengguo, with Chen Suozhu, folded the plastic sheets at both ends of the shed and pressed the edges down with soil.
Then, smiling at the villagers who were reluctant to leave, he said, "Today is my sister's engagement to Brother Suozhu. Our circumstances don't allow for inviting everyone inside, but when they get married, we will definitely invite you all to sit with us."
The villagers smiled and offered their blessings. As for whether their sincerity was genuine, it was not worth considering.
Zhang Fangcao fell hard, her mind reeling. After a while, she managed to get up, pointing furiously at Tian Jing, "It's you, it must be you! Your mouth..."
"Shut up!"
Li Aiguo, standing at the very edge of the crowd, heard this foolish woman about to utter inappropriate words and quickly stopped her.
Seeing her husband, Zhang Fangcao's voice lowered, "Aiguo."
"Let's go home."
"Uh, okay."
Watching the couple leave, Tian Jing narrowed her eyes. Something was not right. Zhang Fangcao seemed to fear Li Aiguo. There was something going on.
Li Zhengguo took Tian Jing's hand, "Sister-in-law Niu is still here."
"Oh, right. Sister-in-law Niu seemed to have something to say to me. I'll go ask her."
Tian Jing tried to pull her hand away, but it was held even tighter.
She glared at the person holding her hand.
Her harmless glare made Li Zhengguo's heart flutter. He really wanted to hug her, what should he do?
He had been too busy lately, too busy to properly date Tiantian.
He tightened his grip a little more before reluctantly letting go. The calluses on her small hand seemed to have softened.
Chen Suozhu's eyes quietly shifted away. His grandfather had told him he was too stupid and that he should learn from Big Brother Li, even in chasing women. But when would he get to hold Minmin's hand?
Tian Jing returned. Sister-in-law Niu beckoned to her, "Tiantian, come look, can you see the scar on Li Min's face anymore?"
Tian Jing sat down by the table, "Not being able to see it is normal. It's been over twenty days, and she hasn't stopped using the scar removal cream."
"But, Sister-in-law..."
Li Min's words were interrupted by Tian Jing, "The fact that it's no longer visible proves the cream is good. Use it for another two days, and once it's completely healed, put that cream away. Save it for when you get scratched again next time."
"Whoever dares to scratch me again, I'll scratch them to death." Li Min's topic was successfully derailed by her sister-in-law.
Sister-in-law Niu also changed the subject, "...Tiantian, what do you think I should do when I encounter someone like my mother-in-law? I work hard for the family and still get no credit."
Tian Jing thought, "Am I a family conflict mediator now?"
"Sister-in-law Niu, since ancient times, there has never been harmony between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law, nor between sisters-in-law. It's like cats and mice; they are irreconcilable."
"It's not that your genuine effort will always be rewarded. Be a little selfish, and consider your own small family more."
"From now on, when you talk to your mother-in-law about anything, don't mention what Brother Niu and you are like. You should use your children as an excuse."
"Your child isn't young anymore, right? Why aren't you saving money early? The money your mother-in-law has, you must say it's for her to fall back on and that you dare not use her money. Therefore, you and Brother Niu need to save money for your own child to get married."
"If you retreat to advance like this, your mother-in-law will either agree to you saving money yourself or agree to give the money to your child for marriage expenses. You won't lose out."
"Don't complain about your sister-in-law to your mother-in-law. She can speak ill of your sister-in-law, but you can't. You should only complain about the difficulty and hardship of marrying a daughter-in-law in the mountains."
"And definitely don't suggest that if all else fails, you'll marry a daughter from your own relatives. Otherwise, the old lady will still think you are very capable and should work harder and contribute more to the family."
"Women, at any time, should not live their lives like a mountain. Even if you are a mountain, you should pretend to be a vine, a vine that relies on men and her mother-in-law."
"A vine has no backbone. If you ask her about everything, you will either annoy her or make her feel very authoritative." Su Dan Novel Network
Seeing that Tian Jing had finished speaking, the two women listening intently shook their heads, "We don't understand."
"It's right that you don't understand. The central idea is - annoy her. Isn't she your mother-in-law? Isn't she holding onto family power? Isn't she not letting you manage the household? Then you don't manage it."
"Ask her about every little thing, let her make decisions. While waiting for her to decide, you can slowly do other things without effort, rest, and take a break. Don't tire yourself out."
"If you make her unhappy, you should feel better, shouldn't you?"
"The struggle between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law never needs an answer or a result. It only needs comfort. Seeing her unhappy, you can be at ease."
Li Min was wide-eyed, "Sister-in-law, you are so insidious."
"Am I not your good sister-in-law? Since ancient times, the relationship between sisters-in-law has also been disharmonious."
Tian Jing's fierce tone made Li Min smile happily, "Yes, we definitely cannot be harmonious."
Sister-in-law Niu savored the words, "Tiantian, you mean I shouldn't try too hard and should push things onto her."
"If she can't finish them, I'll be happy. If she finishes them, I won't be tired. If she's really annoyed, maybe I'll get the right to manage the household."
Tian Jing nodded, "Yes, but you won't get the right to manage the household yet. For now, just enjoy torturing others and making yourself happy."
"Mm, I understand. I was disheartened before, but now I have a direction. I'll gradually change."
"Yes, it should be gradual, but you can always bother her by asking for instructions."
Sister-in-law Niu mumbled and left.
Li Min entered the east room, "Mom, Sister-in-law is so scary."
Mother Li chided her daughter, "Don't talk nonsense. Your sister-in-law is not like that. She said true feelings don't always be reciprocated, not that it's never 100%. If we use our true feelings to exchange for her true feelings, we are that one percent."
"I understand. I'll treat Sister-in-law like my own sister. If she doesn't love me, I'll annoy her."
In the main hall, Tian Jing chuckled, "Li Min, are you trying out what you just learned on me?"
"No, I'm learning from you."
After working for another day, as darkness fell, Li Zhengguo went out and returned carrying two new quilts.
Tian Jing was surprised, "I thought you were going out to pick them up. Did someone deliver them?"
"I originally planned to go out and get them, but since I got busy again, I had someone deliver them. Which one do you choose?"
"Aren't they all the same? In the end, you still have to put on a quilt cover, right?"
Li Zhengguo casually picked up one and took it to the east room.
Li Min hugged the soft quilt, looking envious, "Big Brother, you didn't count me in this, did you?"
"Yes. When it was made, you were supposed to go to the Tian family. There was no need for me to make a quilt for you."
Li Min pouted, "Next winter, I want a new quilt."
"What do you want?" Mother Li retorted to her daughter, "We'll share this one."
"No, if we share one, the quilt won't cover us properly. Mom, you take the new one, and I'll take the old one."
The conversation between his mother and sister made Li Zhengguo feel a pang of sadness. No wonder Tiantian thought he was cold-hearted. He had really neglected his sister and mother.
This quilt for his mother was something Tiantian had requested. At that time, Tiantian disliked his sister, and he had also ignored his sister.
"Alright, next winter, Big Brother will definitely get you a new quilt."