Li Jianguo came in from outside, shut the door, and took off his hat, cursing:
"It's freezing! Heaven just doesn't want us getting through this winter in peace!"
"How's Xiaoxia's dad?" Liang Yuemei asked as she prepared to put the meat into the wok to render the fat.
"Not bad. He can get out of bed now." Li Jianguo shook out his hat and set it on the heated wall to dry, then continued as he changed his shoes:
"He's just worn out, and malnourished on top of that. Even so, he put on this act with me, insisting on paying me. I told him, 'Pay me, my ass! That cornmeal bun you slipped me back when we were digging irrigation channels together-that's payment enough.' He laughed and said that bun sure was worth a lot, trading for two big fish and a Gugu Chicken!"
Liang Yuemei smiled without saying anything.
"Where are Juan and Qiangqiang?" Li Jianguo asked, glancing around and finding neither child in the room.
"They took their Ankle Bones over to the Lu Family's to play. Give her something nice and she can't wait to show it off."
"Isn't that only natural? The Lu Family Girl was always showing off her two Ankle Bones. You saw how jealous Juan was." Li Jianguo laughed. "Now that she has her own, of course she'll return the favor. Juan's not one to let herself lose out."
"I wonder how the Little Dragon Fish sold today." Liang Yuemei changed the subject. "If they didn't sell well, should we stop catching them tomorrow?"
"I think we should keep catching them. We can't just leave those two holes in the ice unused," Li Jianguo said. "After lunch, I'll go scoop up a few more netfuls. If I catch some extra, Xiao Long and the others can set off early tomorrow."
"Then what are you doing in a bit?"
"What else? I've got to clean those five remaining Gugu Chickens. When you take Juan and Qiangqiang back to your parents' on the second day of the New Year, bring two along, plus some fish and a leg of lamb. Let your folks have a good New Year too."
"All right." Liang Yuemei smiled, warmth filling her heart.
Her parents had helped them out a great deal over the past two years, and there had been no shortage of gossip. But neither her parents nor Li Jianguo had said anything. As the Liang Family's eldest son-in-law, Li Jianguo always showed up when his in-laws had trouble, and he could hold his own. Back when Liang Wenyu was still underage, some people had thought the family would be easy to push around. Li Jianguo had settled every last one of those incidents.
Now that life was getting better, Liang Yuemei was happier still.
Li Long first accompanied Tao Daqiang to the Tao home. After unloading the rice, flour, and meat, he turned around and pulled the Sled home.
He felt the Sled was still too slow. If only he could get a bicycle.
As he was thinking about that, Tao Daqiang hurried out of the yard and asked:
"Brother Long, are we going again tomorrow?"
"Sure. I'll go take a look at Haizi in a bit. If I can catch fish, we'll go again tomorrow."
"Then I'll come over right away," Tao Daqiang said excitedly.
Tao Jianshe stared at the rice, flour, and more than two kilograms of fatty pork piled on the floor, feeling a little dazed.
My son's really struck it lucky!
But if our family did this ourselves, wouldn't we make even more?
After all, if his son could get this much, Second Li must have gotten at least twice as much.
Looks like this fish-selling business is worth trying!
Tao Daqiang came into the room and saw his father staring at the things on the floor, his eyes shifting as he schemed. His heart immediately sank.
"Go cut off a piece of that pork and take it to your brother," Tao Jianshe instructed. "Your brother has a child at home. Take some rice and flour too."
"I'm not taking anything!" Tao Daqiang said darkly. "When my brother butchered his pig, he sent nearly half the meat to his in-laws and gave us nothing but a pig's head and trotters. I cut grass for that pig every day all summer. Did he spare a thought for me? Every year, all the rice and flour we're allotted go to him. Don't I count as a person?"
These past two days, Tao Daqiang had felt stifled whenever he came home, and he could hardly resist the urge to go straight back out.
But today, he knew that the moment he left, his father would send all these things over to his elder brother.
He didn't want what he had worked so hard to earn going to an elder brother who barely ever gave him a proper glance.
Tao Dayong hadn't been like this before, actually. But after he married and set up his own household, he had changed more and more.
Tao Jianshe raised his pipe to strike Tao Daqiang, but when he saw the stubborn look in his younger son's eyes, he couldn't bring himself to do it.
"He's your brother!"
"Isn't his family better off than we are? Why doesn't he ever think to help us out? He hauled away the wood I brought back and took the fish I caught. We've got nothing left to burn, and you only add that little bit of coal each day. Why doesn't he think to bring us some coal?"
Tao Daqiang was usually a simple, good-natured fellow and rarely said so much in one breath.
But over the past few days, he had seen how well Li Long and Li Jianguo got along, while things between him and his own brother's family had turned out like this.
Was I supposed to keep giving without asking anything in return?
Just then, the door opened.
Tao Dayong walked in. His eyes lit up when he saw the things on the floor:
"Well, Daqiang, look at you! You brought back all this? Good, good, very nice! Looks like I should get a Scoop Net one of these days so we can give it a try too."
He took off his hat and said as he prepared to change his shoes:
"Why's it so cold in here?"
"We're out of coal, and you hauled away the wood we brought back to burn. Of course it's cold!" Tao Daqiang snapped. "You've got coal at home. How about bringing some over?"
"What are you talking about? How much coal do you think I've got? That wood looked pretty good, so I thought I'd use it to make some furniture come spring. Can't you and that Li boy just haul back another couple of loads?"
"You think it's that easy to haul back?" Tao Daqiang had changed a great deal over the past two days. He sat down with a sneer and looked at his brother. "Three carts went out yesterday. How much did they bring back?"
Da Yong froze for a moment, then swatted Daqiang with his hat:
"What's gotten into you? Swallowed gunpowder? Is that any way to talk to me?"
"Why shouldn't I say it? You hauled away the wood I brought back, took the leg of lamb I brought back, and took my fish too. Did you see what I brought home today and come over to take that as well?"
Tao Dayong stood there stunned.
That was exactly what he had intended to do.
But once his younger brother said it aloud, it took on a different tone.
"Daqiang, what are you saying?" Not wanting his sons to quarrel, Tao Jianshe scolded Tao Daqiang. "Your brother has a child at home. That's your nephew!"
"I may be slow, but I'm not stupid! There were two legs of lamb, and at least one ended up at my sister-in-law's parents' place. Want to bet?" Today, Tao Daqiang suddenly wanted to get everything off his chest. "Dad and I haven't even had a single bite!"
Tao Dayong fell silent.
Of the two legs of lamb, his father had sent one over, and he had taken the other home himself. That very evening, his wife had taken one to her parents.
He had come over now because his wife had seen Li Long and Tao Daqiang returning with the Sled and urged him to come get a share.
He had long since grown used to doing this. Now, hearing his younger brother say it so plainly and looking at his father's increasingly aged face, Tao Dayong wanted to argue back but didn't know what to say.
"I'll be going with Xiao Long to haul more wood later. Brother, that wood is for us to burn until spring. Don't say I didn't warn you—if you take any more, I won't stand for it!"
In the end, Tao Dayong left empty-handed, slamming the door behind him.
Tao Jianshe went on reproaching Tao Daqiang for quite a while:
"Why are you two brothers fighting? Your brother wasn't always like this."
"Then he can live his own good life. Why does he have to keep taking things from us?" Tao Daqiang stuck to that one point.
He was no longer afraid of his father's scolding. At worst, his father could go live with his brother's family, and he would finally have some peace.
But his father wouldn't, and his sister-in-law wouldn't allow it either.
Tao Daqiang had no intention of taking advantage of his brother. He just wanted to build a good life with his own hands, without letting others take advantage of him for nothing.
Thanks to reader Lonely Phantom for the tip, and to readers 20230716100533245, South Sea Little White Dragon 001, and 20220525072459517 for their monthly votes. Thanks to everyone for the recommendation votes, for following along, and for all your suggestions. While you relax and enjoy the May Day holiday, remember to catch up on all the new chapters.
(End of chapter)
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