Sun Shi frowned and immediately said, "Mother, later tonight, the child's father still needs to fetch water. How can he fetch water if the wooden buckets are borrowed?"
Before Old Madam Zhao could say anything, Zhao Youcai said, "Didn't we already bring back four buckets of water just now? The water in the vat is full. Is that not enough for her to use?"
Sun Shi was so angry her teeth gnashed.
Although Zhao Sidan didn't say it explicitly, she could guess what her elder sister-in-law borrowed the wooden buckets for. It must be to make ice jelly. Borrowing their family's things to earn money, she should at least pay some borrowing fee.
As a result, she had just spoken when her own man cut her off.
Sun Shi fiercely pinched Zhao Youcai's arm, then flung his hand away and walked into the room.
"You're such a busybody, I don't know what you're thinking about every day," Zhao Youcai angrily scolded, "If you have time, hurry up and make me a pair of straw shoes. I don't have any shoes to wear any day..."
Sun Shi sat in the room, so angry her heart ached.
Her man was too ordinary. In front of so many people, he didn't give her any face. Wasn't it because she couldn't give birth to a son? If she had a son as support, who among that old woman and her man would dare not give her face!
Zhao Youcai continued to chop firewood outside.
Old Man Zhao took a puff of his pipe and said, "Third Son, go up the mountain and chop down a cedar tree to bring back."
The cedar tree wasn't large; one person could chop it down and drag it back. One tree could make three or four wooden buckets. In the past, Old Man Zhao had learned carpentry, but he wasn't meticulous or focused, and his craftsmanship was still rough. He couldn't make a living from it, and after half a year, his master advised him to quit. However, he did learn a little skill. These simple tasks of making wooden buckets and basins were not difficult for the old man.
Zhao Youcai didn't ask what the tree was for and carried his axe out the door.
Nearing the foot of the mountain, he ran into another widow in the village, Zhang Shi. Zhang Shi had been a widow since her twenties and was now not yet thirty. Her clothes didn't have many patches, and she held a bamboo basket in her hand. Seeing Zhao Youcai, she greeted him, "Third Brother Zhao, where are you going?"
Zhao Youcai, holding his axe, casually said, "Up the mountain to chop firewood."
Zhang Shi saw the muscles exposed on his arm and unconsciously took two steps forward. "Third Brother Zhao, during the day I chopped some firewood and piled it on the mountain. You know I'm a widow and don't have the strength to carry dry firewood down the mountain. Can Third Brother Zhao help me?"
As she spoke, she moved closer to Zhao Youcai, her arm brushing against his body as if by accident.
Zhao Youcai took a step back. "It's getting dark. I don't have time to help you carry dry firewood. Let's talk about it tomorrow."
He held his axe and quickly walked up the mountain.
Zhang Shi stomped her foot in anger. That stinky man had no understanding of romance. She had made it so clear, yet he left.
Her stomping was useless; Zhao Youcai's figure had already disappeared into the forest. She carried her bamboo basket and continued walking, quickly stopping in front of Cheng Loanloan's house.
She stood at the courtyard gate, tiptoeing closer, craning her neck to look into the room. She didn't know what was being cooked in the kitchen. The main door was closed, and she could only hear people talking, but couldn't tell what exactly they were doing.
Under the eaves of the main gate, a pile of cattail grass was stacked, not yet tidied up.
Zhang Shi looked left and right but didn't see any clues.
At this moment, Zhao Sidan pushed the door open and walked out, looking at her suspiciously. "Aunt Zhang, what are you doing?"
Madam Zhang immediately smiled. "I went up the mountain to pick some lantern grass, about two catties. Will your mother accept it?"
Cheng Loanloan walked out of the room, took the bamboo basket, and indeed it was two catties. She returned to her room, took out four copper coins, and gave them to Madam Zhang.
Madam Zhang took the money but showed no intention of leaving.