Liu Cui Jin looked down on her and had wanted to beat her up for a long time.
Seeing Liu Cui Rong rush towards her crying, Liu Cui Jin leaped up with a somersault, grabbed Liu Cui Rong by the collar, and pinned her onto the kang…
"You wretched thing, I'll beat you to death today! You boss around me and Mother every day, are you the Crown Princess or something? Without the status, you still want the benefits, why don't you just drop dead!~"
Liu Cui Jin cursed and hit her, her slaps landing on Liu Cui Rong's face like soles of shoes, 'slap, slap'…
If it were any other time, when Liu Cui Rong was at her strongest, Liu Cui Jin might not have been able to defeat her.
Now that she had just given birth and was emotionally stimulated, how could she withstand such a beating from Liu Cui Jin?
"Oh, you two, stop fighting. Cui Jin, let go of her hair, hurry, she's your sister!~" Lu Shi stepped forward to break them up.
Liu Cui Jin spat at Liu Cui Rong's face, "Pah, I don't have such a disgraceful sister…"
"Wuwuwu, you wait for me, when I… Aow!~" Before Liu Cui Rong could finish, her face was scratched.
Her sharp fingernails broke the skin, drawing blood.
"Cui Jin!" Lu Shi's face darkened, and she pushed Liu Cui Jin away with all her might, "No hitting people!"
Liu Cui Jin was also tired of hitting. After giving Liu Cui Rong a glare, she put on her shoes, got off the kang, righted the kang table, and used the broom and scraper to clean up the debris on the floor…
Not having eaten enough, she boiled more water in the outer room and made a pot of sour soup noodles.
"Cui Rong, you've been divorced by Er Man, so don't think about going back to the old Yun family. Mother will go ask Zhao the butcher's family tomorrow. That old Zhao's son is a butcher, and his life is decent. His wife died of illness a while ago, and he's having the matchmaker look for a new bride everywhere…"
"You've been married and had a child, it's impossible to find a young man. Marrying Zhao the butcher is making do, what do you say?"
Lu Shi advised earnestly.
Liu Cui Rong wiped her face with a handkerchief and said with disgust, "Who wants to marry a butcher? His wife was probably killed by him. Mother, aren't you pushing your own daughter into a fire pit? If you want to marry, Mother, you marry him yourself, I won't marry!~"
Lu Shi: "…"
Was that human talk?
She was kindly thinking of her daughter, but received such a dismissive remark.
Lu Shi got off the kang and poured herself a glass of water, impatiently saying, "Cui Rong, to speak plainly, if you continue to stay here with Mother, Mother can only kick you out. The bun shop is busy, and Mother doesn't have time to serve you…"
"Mother!~" Liu Cui Rong's eyes widened, and she crawled towards the edge of the kang, "You can't be so biased. Cui Jin isn't married yet, why don't you kick her out?"
Lu Shi turned back, her brows furrowed, "Cui Jin gets up early and works hard for me, serving customers and stoking the fire to steam buns. What have you done?"
"Mother, I was pregnant a while ago. I wanted to help you, but my belly wouldn't allow it…" Liu Cui Rong argued.
Hmph, a fallen phoenix is not as good as a chicken.
When she relied on the old Yun family, she had food and drink, and the family's conditions were not bad. Why didn't Mother say this then?
Did she just dislike her because she had no prospects and was eating and drinking for free at home?
Lu Shi sighed helplessly, "If you had given birth to the child smoothly, Mother would have been willing to help you take care of it no matter how busy she was. But you didn't listen, ate things you shouldn't have, and harmed the fetus. How can Mother feel at ease?"
"Besides, there are separations and reunions. Do you plan to stay with Mother forever and never marry again?"
It was impossible to find a bachelor…
Now, she could only look for those who were widowed, divorced, or had children.
Even becoming a concubine in a wealthy family would be acceptable.
Liu Cui Rong sniffled, "What are they making in the outer room? Mother, I'm hungry. Can you stir-fry some rice for me? Add more scallions!"
Lu Shi: "…"
Good heavens, Liu Cui Rong hadn't listened to a word she said.
What to do with this carefree creature?
How did Er Man tolerate her all these years?
"Mother, the sour soup noodles are ready. I've made mushroom sauce. Eat it while it's hot!~" Liu Cui Jin came in and said.
Upon hearing this, Liu Cui Rong quickly ordered Liu Cui Jin, "Hurry and serve me a bowl, my stomach is empty and rumbling with hunger…"
"If you want to eat, serve yourself. If you dare to order me around again, I'll rip your head off and throw it into the stove!~" Liu Cui Jin snorted coldly and returned to the outer room.
Liu Cui Rong, with her thick skin, didn't care. She served herself a bowl of sour soup noodles, mixed it with mushroom sauce, and slurped it down.
Sour soup noodles were made by kneading cornmeal into a dough and rolling it into noodles.
They tasted sour, hence the name sour soup noodles…
Da Shui Village.
Seeing that it was getting dark and the corn husking was almost done, Old Man Yun called his three sons, "Pack up your things, let's go back. Your mother said she'll be making dry pancakes tonight, rolled with shredded potatoes. Just thinking about it makes my stomach rumble!~"
"Hahaha, Dad, you're hungry. Tomorrow when we go to the fields, let's bring some steamed buns and flower rolls. If you get hungry, eat them with some tea…" Yun San Man said with a laugh.
Old Man Yun patted the grass dust off his sleeves, took out his pipe, and took a couple of puffs. "I heard from the village chief yesterday that there's fighting on the border again. If the government conscripts soldiers from our village, all of you will have to join the army!"
"Dad, what are the benefits of joining the army?" Yun Da Man asked.
His father would often tell them stories about the army, and he didn't know how he knew them…
From generals and commanders, to captains and officers, and then to ordinary soldiers, Yun La Tou could explain it all in great detail.
"There are no benefits to joining the army!~" Old Man Yun reached out and stroked the mane of his white horse, sighing slightly. "Those who perform well can become scouts or messengers, so they won't have to fight the enemy on the front lines…"
"If you're unlucky and get sent to the battlefield, oh my, with all the swords and spears, it's dangerous. If you're not careful, you'll lose an arm or a leg. If the military doctors are too busy, you can just wait to die!"
"Dad, isn't it okay not to join the army?" Yun Er Man asked.
"How can that be? When the government's decree comes down, it's mandatory. If you don't go, they'll break your legs!~" Old Man Yun looked into the distance, still faintly remembering the scenes of shedding blood in his youth.
Yun San Man said, "Then if we return from the army, will the court grant us land or something?"
Old Man Yun grunted and said faintly, "They'll give you two mu of grain fields, enough to not starve!~"
Yun San Man: "…"
Two mu of land, what good is that?
Just then, several carriages approached, surrounded by more than twenty guards on horseback.
Yun Er Man looked back and wondered, "Which noble is traveling again?"