Chapter 28

Early the next morning, before dawn, Su Yue endured the sleepiness and got up from bed and handed the prepared pastries to Old Lady Han. “Auntie, I made a lot of pastries last night. I think Aimin will be too busy to go alone today. Do you think you should let second brother or third brother Han? Whoever comes to help, I will give a total of 40% of the profit.”

Old Lady Han saw the five large sieves of pastries and said hurriedly, “This is so much. One person can’t sell everything in one day, so I will ask the second and third sons to help. I don’t want your 40% profit, but the only 20% profit.”

Su Yue waved her hand. “That won’t work, Auntie. How can I do it? It’s too much of a loss to get 20% of the profits for letting you and the whole family work, so let’s take 40%.”

Seeing that Old Lady Han still wanted to refuse, Su Yue pursed her lips and said, “Auntie, take the profit and keep the money; you will require it to treat Brother Han’s leg in the future. Brother Han’s leg will definitely be cured, so don’t refuse.”

If Old Lady Han didn’t know about her and Han Aiguo’s affairs, she wouldn’t say this, but now that Old Lady Han knows it, she doesn’t hesitate anymore. Anyway, she and the old lady have the same purpose, which is to treat Han Aiguo’s leg, so she doesn’t feel bad about sharing the money.

When Old Lady Han heard what Su Yue said, she was stunned for a moment. Then she looked at Su Yue’s eyes and was moved. She took her hand and held it tightly; her eyes were red. “Good girl, thank you. You have such a good heart; I will always remember it. Then I won’t be polite to you. When I save enough money, I will take your brother Han to a big hospital in the provincial capital to see his leg. I will definitely cure him. Don’t worry, even if Eldest’s leg cannot be cured, Auntie will still take him to different hospitals.”

It seemed that the old lady was also very uneasy about Han Aiguo’s leg treatment. She was also afraid that she would dislike Han Aiguo’s leg and leave, so she wanted to try to reassure her.

Su Yue comforted the old lady and said, “Auntie, Brother Han’s leg will definitely be cured. Let’s save some money and take Brother Han to check his leg. If one hospital doesn’t work, just change to another. There will always be a cure.”

“Yes, yes, there is always something that can be cured.” Old Lady Han was not so confident about Han Aiguo’s leg treatment at first, but after listening to Su Yue’s words, her heart instantly became more determined. Now that she has confidence, she is motivated to make money. She hurried to tell Han Lao-san and Han Lao-er about selling cakes, explaining it to them in detail, for fear that they would make mistakes.

Han Lao-er and Han Lao-san were also very positive about making money by selling pastries. They promised Old Lady Han that they would sell well, then put the pastries in backpacks and covered the baskets tightly with waterproof oilcloth. They made sure that they wouldn’t get caught in the rain, so they put on their raincoats and followed Han Aimin to the town.

Su Yue estimated that the pastries should be sold out today, so she went into the kitchen to continue making the pastries for tomorrow. Han Aiguo was still helping to light the fire. In addition to making the same pastries as today, Su Yue also made extra new foods such as donkey rolling on the ground, Dorayaki, and egg yolk cake.

By the time Su Yue finished everything, it was already evening and it was getting dark, but the three brothers of the Han family had not yet come back.

The old lady was a little worried. She stood at the gate and looked in the direction of the village entrance. Han’s second daughter-in-law and Han’s third daughter-in-law were also worried. They were afraid that something had happened. One moment they were worried that the cakes would not be sold, and the next they were worried about whether the brothers would be caught selling and punished.

Fortunately, the three Han brothers finally came back before it got completely dark.

Han’s third daughter-in-law was the first to rush forward and take the backpack from Han Lao-san’s back and asked impatiently, “How is it? Did all the cakes sold out?”

Han’s second daughter-in-law also stepped forward to pick up her husband’s backpack. “Did something happen? Usually Aimin never comes back so late.”

Han Lao-er drank water from a porcelain jar. Han Lao-san couldn’t wait to say, “They are all sold out. The three of us went to three different places. The ones sold locally were all sold easily, and there was not a single cake left in our baskets. We were supposed to be back as soon as the sun went down, but Comrade Jiang from the textile factory told us something on the way, so we were delayed.”

Old Lady Han has already brought the hot food to the table from the kitchen. “Let’s eat first; you’re all hungry. Let’s talk while eating.”

They had been busy all day and bought only two steamed buns in the town at noon. They were so hungry that their chest was pressed against their back. As soon as they sat down, they grabbed their chopsticks and started to eat.

He didn’t continue to the topic until his stomach was half full. “Comrade Jiang said that she has a relative in the city. She wants to buy pastries from you, but she didn’t tell the specifics. She just asked us to leave a message for you, Su Yue. She wants to see you tomorrow and talk to you in person.”

Su Yue nodded thoughtfully.

Several people finished dinner quickly, and then they couldn’t wait to take out the money they earned today to report to Su Yue.

Han Lao-er said, “Su Yue, all the money you earned today is here, not a little bit less. Many people were willing to exchange their tickets. As long as there are tickets, we estimated the market price and sold them.”

There is a lot of money on the table, and there are a lot of tickets. A quick look shows that there are food stamps, meat stamps, and non-staple food stamps, and there are many cloth tickets too.

Su Yue’s eyes lit up when she saw the cloth tickets. She looked down at the ugly clothes on her body, as if she saw hope.

Others didn’t notice Su Yue’s excitement. Han Lao-er was still talking, “When we came back, we went to the grain management office to buy the flour, oil, and other things that Su Yue asked for. After we finished buying, we counted, and there were fifty-two yuan left, five kilograms of food stamps, two kilograms of meat stamps, one kilogram of sugar stamps, one kilogram of oil stamps, and two feet of cloth stamps. Su Yue, please count and see if they are right.”

“Thank you for your hard work.” Su Yue did not count but directly divided the money into 40% and handed it to them, saying, “This is the money you deserve.”

The eyes of the two daughters-in-law of the Han family shone brightly when they saw so much money, but the three brothers said to Old Lady Han, “Mom, just keep it.”

Old Lady Han glanced at the two daughters-in-law and took the money.

Su Yue pretended not to notice the subtle atmosphere between the old lady and the two daughters-in-law and divided the tickets she got. 40% of the other tickets were given out, but the cloth tickets were not divided. “Auntie, I will shamelessly not share it with you, as I want to make some clothes, but I will make it up to you with more food stamps.”

Old Lady Han said very simply, “Okay, you can take all the cloth tickets. You are a young and pretty girl; you should make more beautiful clothes. From now on, if you have any cloth tickets, you can keep them, and we won’t take them. When you have enough cloth, Auntie can make clothes for you. I am not bragging but your this auntie is very good at making clothes.”

Su Yue was very happy after hearing this. She knew nothing about needlework and was worried about what to do with cloth. Now Auntie Han is willing to make it for her, so her problem is solved.

She couldn’t help but hug the old lady’s arm and rub it affectionately, “Thank you, Auntie.”

Old lady Han smiled and narrowed her eyes. “Don’t be polite to Auntie.” Anyway, she is her eldest daughter-in-law, so making clothes for her is nothing.

Han Aiguo glanced at Su Yue’s arms holding his mother; no one noticed the envy that flashed in his eyes.

After dividing the money and tickets, Su Yue pocketed her share, and the old lady also put her 40% into her pocket.

Seeing that the old lady had taken all the money without giving any to the brothers, Han’s third daughter-in-law couldn’t sit still and asked, “Mom, why have you kept all the money we earned?”

Old Lady Han stopped collecting the money and looked up at her. “Hey, what do you want to say?”

Han Lao-san saw that his wife was about to speak, and he knew what she wanted to say, so he quickly pulled her arm under the table to signal her not to talk too much, but she ignored him and took the courage to say, “Mom, my husband and second and fourth brothers have been running hard outside all day, and their legs have given out from all this work, so don’t we deserve some hard-earned money? At least give them two yuan to spend.”

Old Lady Han did not answer her but looked at Han’s second daughter-in-law and asked, “Second daughter-in-law, do you want this too?”

Han’s second daughter-in-law who was suddenly called out, was at a little at a loss. Seeing everyone looking at her, she hesitated for a moment, then lowered her head and whispered, “Mom, we want to buy something for our children, but we don’t have enough money.”

This means she also wants to share the money.

Old Lady Han’s face darkened. “We haven’t separated our families yet. The fourth child hasn’t gotten married, and your eldest brother hasn’t gotten married either. Could it be that you guys want to share the money without separating the families? How can such a good thing happen?”

Han’s third daughter-in-law said, “Mom, we are not talking about sharing money; we just want some pocket money. We have not had much money since we started a family.”

Old Lady Han patted the table. “Does our family have less food for you or fewer clothes for you? Is your life worse than other people’s wives? You can’t just start a family and ignore everyone. Your eldest brother and younger brother haven’t gotten married yet. Besides, the most important thing in our family right now is your eldest brother’s leg injury. For its treatment we would need to go to a big hospital, which costs a lot of money. If the money is divided among you, where can he get the money to cure his legs?”

Upon hearing this, Han’s third daughter-in-law looked at Han Aiguo’s legs and muttered unhappily, “Didn’t the doctor at the hospital say it can’t be cured? Do we still need to earn money for wasting?”

Han third’s daughter-in-law didn’t dare to say the last sentence, but it was enough to make the old lady angry. The old lady scolded, “What do you mean? Do you think it’s a waste of money to treat your Eldest Brother’s leg?”

Before Han’s third daughter-in-law could say anything, the old lady glared at Han Lao-er and Han Lao-san angrily and said, “Everything in the family was obtained by your eldest brother’s hard work in the army; he didn’t spend any of the money he earned, but he sent it home. If it weren’t for your eldest brother, would you be able to marry a wife now? You would all be singles! Now that you have a family, you don’t want to worry about your eldest brother anymore? Are your hearts darkened?”

Han Lao-san hurriedly gave his mother some relief. “Mom, don’t be angry, don’t listen to her nonsense, we don’t mean it, my eldest brother’s leg needs to be treated, we will earn money for him, Mother, don’t worry.”

The second brother, also agreed. “Mom, the third brother is right. How can we ignore the eldest brother? You keep all the money; we don’t want it.”

Han Aiguo raised his head when he heard the current situation and finally said, “Mom, thank you for thinking about my leg, but you can’t spend all the money on my leg injury. My nieces and nephews are all older. We need to spend on them too. In the future, you can leave the money earned by the second and third children to them.”

“What nonsense are you talking about?” Old Lady Han interrupted him, “It was you who made money to support your brothers and this family. Now that they have a family, they can’t just ignore you as the eldest brother. It’s useless for anyone to say this. As long as the family is not separated, all the money earned belongs to this family, and no one can keep it in their own pockets.”

Seeing that his mother was so stubborn, Han Aiguo sighed and thought about trying to persuade her in private. He didn’t want to cause any more unpleasantness. He said to the second and third child, “You have been tired for the whole day, so go, wash up, and sleep.”

Han Lao-er and Han Lao-san nodded quickly and took their wives back to the room. As for whether they were fighting or not, outsiders didn’t know.

Su Yue was very embarrassed at this time. She was an outsider, but she didn’t want to listen to the whole scene. There was a family conflict, and this conflict was indirectly caused by her.

If she had known that she would have gone back to the room after dividing the money, it would have been better than sitting here and listening to other people’s family conflicts.

Old Lady Han saw Su Yue’s discomfort; she patted her hand and said sheepishly, “I let you watch a joke.”

“No, no.” Su Yue didn’t know what to say, so she stood up and said, “Auntie, I’m going to town to meet Comrade Jiang tomorrow. I’ll go to bed early tonight.”

Old Lady Han waved her hand. “Go, go, the hot water is boiled in the pot; you can just wash up.”

Su Yue left in a hurry, leaving only the old lady and Han Aiguo; the mother and son duo, in the hall.

Just as Han Aiguo was about to speak, Old Lady Han stopped him, “Son, don’t persuade me. Mom is not an old fool, nor is she. I’m not a bad mother-in-law. I want all four of you brothers to have a good life. In the past few years, I was always attached to the second and third children. Now they have settled down, so I have to consider you and the fourth child. The fourth child is still young, so don’t worry. The most important thing now is you. Your legs must be treated. Mother must prepare this. Don’t say anything; just listen to Mother.”

Han Aiguo knew that his mother was stubborn, and no one could take things back once she decided. He didn’t know how to persuade her at the moment.

—–

The next morning, Su Yue packed up early. She was going to town with the three brothers of the Han family today. After all, Sister Jiang would not look for her for no reason.

Who knew that when she went out, she saw Han Aiguo standing at the gate with a cane, as if he was about to go out?

“Are you going out too?“ Su Yue was puzzled.

Han Aiguo took what she was carrying and said, “I’ll go with you.”

Su Yue frowned. “What are you going to do? Your legs can’t run back and forth. Don’t come; I’ll be back soon.”

But Han Aiguo shook his head. “I’m going to the town to send a telegram to a friend in the city and ask him to find out about the prescription for treating my legs. If I find the prescription as soon as possible, my legs will be cured sooner.”

Su Yue was shocked. She didn’t expect that he was going to inquire about the prescription, but there is no prescription in the city. She just made it up to deceive him. How could he possibly find out?

Su Yue had to say, “That prescription is more secured, and only a few people know about it. After all, the old Chinese medicine doctor does not stay in a fixed place, but I have asked people I know to inquire about it. If there is news, they will tell me, so don’t go there; it’s quite a hassle to go back and forth.”

Han Aiguo was stubborn enough to go, “The more people I ask, the more hope I have. I want to find the prescription as soon as possible and cure my leg as soon as possible.”

His eyes were too serious. Su Yue knew that she could not persuade him anymore, so she had to let him go, but she was saying sorry to him in her heart, because he was destined not to find out any information.

There was a long way to go, so Han Aimin went to the brigade early in the morning to borrow a mule cart, and they took the mule cart to the town.

Su Yue left two baskets of cakes and said to the others, “Yesterday Aimin said that the family members of the textile factory in the courtyard want to buy pastries. I will take these and sell them. You can take the remaining pastries to other places to sell them. When they are all sold out, we will gather here and go back together.”

No one had any objections, and they went to sell cakes at their respective places.

Su Yue went straight to Sister Jiang’s house.

Sister Jiang knew that Su Yue would come today, so she specially changed her shift with her colleagues for a day and stayed at home to wait for Su Yue.

Su Yue put the cakes on the table and got straight to the point: “Sister Jiang, what do you want to see me for?”