Traveling Through Those Years Of Farming (Quick Transmigration) - Chapter 22

“What are you doing?”

Liu Lanhua feels a wave of unease at her mother-in-law’s voice, as if she has something to hide.

“Cutting pig grass, yes, cutting pig grass.” Her eyes dart around, and when she spots several bamboo baskets outside the pigpen, an idea strikes her. She hurries over, grabs one basket to carry on her back, and holds another in her arms to justify her sneaky behavior.

“San Ya has been complaining to me lately, saying she has to run to the riverbank three times a day and has no time to play with her little sisters,” Liu Lanhua says, attempting to appear like a loving mother. “I thought I’d help her cut some pig grass today so she could take a break.”

“Really?” Lu Miao sneers.

The old Liu family has a notorious reputation for not treating girls as valuable members of the family. The women are deeply devoted to their natal families, while the men of the Liu family often rely on the support of these married women.

Having lived in such an environment, Liu Lanhua inherently looks down on her daughter. With her saying that she feels sorry for her daughter and is helping her cut grass for the pigs, Lu Miao doesn’t believe a word of it.

“It’s commendable that you had that thought, but in that case, you’ll be responsible for feeding the animals today. These pigs are set to be slaughtered in two months, and they must not lose weight. You need to cut enough grass for them.” As she speaks, Lu Miao hands Liu Lanhua another basket. “Aren’t you going to cut grass for the pigs? Then make sure you cut enough.”

“Okay.” Liu Lanhua grits her teeth and accepts the basket with a forced smile. She trudges out of the house, each step heavy with reluctance.

Her mother-in-law clearly won’t let her off easily. If Liu Lanhua fails to gather enough grass for the pigs, she will likely face a scolding. Cutting grass for the pigs takes time; it involves a long trek back and forth from home to the hillside by the riverbank. She also has to hurry back at dawn to feed the pigs. How could she possibly find the time to sneak away?

Thinking this, Liu Lanhua realizes she will have to choose another opportunity to sneak out.

******

“Xiuyu, is this all you’re making today? How much can it sell for?” Jiang Bai’e scrutinizes the amount of food her daughter has prepared, unable to suppress her discontent.

“Can this business continue in the future?” Jiang Bai’e can’t help but sigh.

Now that one person has developed the formula, it is only a matter of time before a second and a third follow. Eventually, everyone will know how to make pig offal. What would make it special then?

“Let’s take it one step at a time,” Lu Xiuyu replies, shaking her head, a hint of sadness flickering in her eyes.

“But when I am unconscious, I dream of more than just this recipe. If pig offal doesn’t sell well, I’ll sell something else.” She attempts to smile, but to those watching, it comes across as a forced grin.

Lu Baobao’s mind spins; she doesn’t know which side of her cousin is real. Her cousin seems troubled, but Lu Baobao feels everything is somehow under her cousin’s control.

Forget it; if she can’t figure it out, she won’t dwell on it. Why strain her limited brain cells over it?

Lu Xiuyu begins placing clean bowls and chopsticks into an empty bucket. She intends to head out as soon as the rice on the stove finishes cooking. Humming a little tune, she notices a slender figure climbing over the backyard fence and disappearing from sight.

“Eldest daughter-in-law, keep an eye on the fire; I’m going to the toilet.”

It isn’t just Lu Xiuyu who notices; Lu Miao sets aside her work, casually wipes her hands with a cloth, then hurriedly puts on her cooking apron and heads toward the backyard.

Lu Xiuyu lowers her head. From Lu Baobao’s viewpoint, she can see her cousin’s smile gradually widening.

An awkward tension hangs in the air, making Lu Baobao wonder how to break it. T-T This really puts her in a difficult position.

******

“Didn’t we agree not to set up a stall here at Santangkou? The girl from the first room saw you yesterday. Fortunately, she doesn’t recognize you; otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to stand here in front of you now.”

Liu Lanhua blocks the path leading into the third market from her maternal village. She has timed her arrival perfectly, waiting a while until she sees her maternal brothers and sisters-in-law.

These two are the couple who competed with Lu Xiuyu for business yesterday. The man bears a slight resemblance to Liu Lanhua, though his lips are thinner and his mouth has a slight crookedness to it. He appears somewhat disheveled and a bit unserious

“You guys should go back quickly. That girl is very cunning. She said something strange yesterday that made my family suspicious of me. Don’t come here in the future. They can’t find evidence to say that I revealed the recipe to you.” Liu Lanhua shivers at the thought of her mother-in-law’s piercing gaze from the day before.

“Sister, if you want us to go back, where are we supposed to go?” Liu Lanhua’s brother is reluctant to leave. The successful day they have yesterday gives him a taste of the rewards. He is convinced that the official road stall is a popular spot and a good place to do business.

“Sister, my family is waiting for money. If you can’t help, don’t hold me back. Just get out of the way and don’t block my business. Even if the Lu family recognizes me, what can they do? Don’t worry, I won’t betray you. The poisonous fire weed is found all over the mountains and plains. Ginger and green onions aren’t unique to your stalls. It’s just that no one has thought to use them as seasonings before. Now that the girl from the Lu family has discovered it, can’t my Liu family figure it out too?” Little Liu feels that his sister is nagging and impeding their family’s progress.

“Am I hindering you?” Seeing the impatient expressions on her brother and sister-in-law’s faces, Liu Lanhua’s heart sinks.

She has been sincere in her support; otherwise, she wouldn’t have spent all her family’s private funds on them. A few days earlier, her mother comes to her in secret, crying about how her brothers have children who need milk and that several nephews are looking for wives but can’t afford the betrothal gifts. She has asked Liu Lanhua for ten taels of silver to help them get by. How can Liu Lanhua possibly come up with that kind of money? The only thing she can think of is Lu Xiuyu’s business.

Previously, Lu Xiuyu hasn’t avoided them while cooking. Everyone in the family knows how to clean pig offal and what seasonings to add to remove the fishy smell… So, it can be said that every family member is well aware of these steps.

Liu Lanhua feels indignant as well, believing that pig offal isn’t solely Lu Xiuyu’s business. If the eldest girl can make pig offal to sell, now that she knows the steps, why can’t she also make pig offal to earn money?

Adding to this is the matter with Tang Dingyuan; in a moment of impulsiveness, when her mother comes again asking for money, she directly hands over Lu Xiuyu’s recipe for pig offal to her maternal family.

However, Liu Lanhua is still somewhat rational. She knows that if the Lu family finds out that her maternal family is also in this business, they will definitely become suspicious of her. So when she hands over the recipe, she repeatedly instructs them to set up a stall in the county town market and not to let the Lu family see them.

Liu Lanhua thinks about it; her maternal family is buying pig offal from the meat stall in the north of the county and not setting up a stall at the third market, so how can they possibly claim that she is stealing the Lu family’s business?

Unfortunately, no matter how thoroughly she plans, she ends up with a group of unsympathetic maternal relatives who directly set up business right under the Lu family’s noses to save time and effort. After just one day of earning money, they are discovered by Lu Xiuyu.

Fortunately, the Lu family still can’t be sure that the people selling pig offal are her maternal family. As long as she can persuade them to leave and ensure they never appear in front of the Lu family again, her actions will remain undiscovered.

“Second sister, if you keep blocking me, the vegetables in the bucket get cold. If they don’t sell, are you going to pay me back? Our parents leave in the middle of the night to buy pig offal in the north of the county and only return at dawn. It takes two or three hours for the round trip, and they exhaust themselves. It’s not easy for them to buy offal. If you stop us again, you’re being unfilial and deserve to be struck by lightning.” As he speaks, Liu Xiaodi directly pushes Liu Lanhua aside, then he and his wife maneuver the cart around her to move forward.

“How can it be our parents going to buy pig offal? It’s such a long road; what are our elder sister-in-law and second sister-in-law doing?” Ignoring her own pain from being shoved, Liu Lanhua questions them angrily.

She is a dutiful daughter, and upon hearing that her elderly parents are buying pig offal, she immediately becomes upset.

“You’re a married daughter; what does the family matter have to do with you?” Liu Xiaodi, annoyed by her complaints, rudely kicks her aside again.

The pig offal business has brought the Liu family a taste of success, with earnings exceeding 200 coins yesterday. If the business continues to thrive like this, they won’t need to rely on Liu Lanhua for ten or twenty coins each time.

“Little brother, little brother!” Liu Lanhua exclaims, clutching her injured calf, unable to stand from the pain. She can’t understand why her brother forgets she is a married woman when he previously asks her for money.

“Hmph.”

Liu Lanhua holds her leg, confused. Suddenly, a shadow falls over her. Looking up, she sees her mother-in-law standing behind her, her face livid.

It’s over!

This is the only thought running through Liu Lanhua’s mind.