Chapter 64: Sister-in-law Chit-Chat

Chapter 64: Sister-in-Law Small Talk

For dinner, Su He not only made sweet and sour ribs but also steamed egg pudding for the two kids.

Both dishes were the children's favorites, and Zai Zai and Niu Niu devoured their food.

After dinner, while there was still daylight, Su He took the two kids for a walk as they headed toward the Fu family’s house in the village.

She wanted to ask her sisters-in-law when they could spare some time to help her plant the newly acquired durian saplings.

At this time, most folks had just eaten or were about to eat, so those who had been working outside were trickling back home.

Seeing Su He and her two children, many villagers went out of their way to greet her this time.

The scene of Su He taking on the Wang family was still fresh in everyone’s minds, turning her reputation around completely in the village.

Many villagers had already been dissatisfied with the Wang family, and after Su He put them in their place while still showing magnanimity, people felt she was decent and fair-minded in her actions.

"Ting Hua’s wife, where you headed?"

"Just going to my mother-in-law’s place."

"Ting Hua’s wife, your kids seem to have grown taller!"

"Ting Hua’s wife, stop by sometime!"

"Miss Su, oh, have you eaten yet?"

"Had dinner already?"

Faced with the villagers’ sudden enthusiasm, Su He’s smile was starting to hurt her face.

She picked up her pace and hurried toward the Fu household.

The Fu family had also just finished dinner. Because the house was too hot, Fu Dajun, Wu Yanhua, their sons, daughters-in-law, and grandchildren had all gathered outside to catch the breeze.

Su He’s home, however, stayed cool in summer and warm in winter, so it wasn’t as hot as the center of the village.

"Su He, have you eaten yet?"

The moment he saw his youngest daughter-in-law, Fu Dajun lit up.

"Yes, Dad," Su He replied with a smile before greeting Wu Yanhua and her in-laws.

"Grandpa, Grandma," Zai Zai and Niu Niu said shyly to Fu Dajun and Wu Yanhua.

They weren’t so shy around people as before and even took the initiative to greet their grandparents.

"Ah, my dear grandchildren," Fu Dajun grinned from ear to ear.

He owed the most to Su He and her children, so he never gave her the cold shoulder.

"I came to ask my sisters-in-law when they could spare some time," Su He said to the Fu women with a smile.

"Oh? You got those durian tree saplings?" He Fangfang asked.

Su He had mentioned before that once she had the money, she wanted to fill that hillside with durian trees.

"Yes. So I’ll have to trouble you again, Sister-in-law," Su He said with a smile.

"No trouble, no trouble. We're pretty much done here. When will the saplings arrive?" Zhang Xiaohua asked.

"They're already here. Just let us know when you're free."

"Then how about tomorrow?" Chen Sufen jumped in and set the time, which suited Su He perfectly.

Durian trees take time to bear fruit, so the sooner they're planted, the better.

The Fu family, whether sons or daughters-in-law, were all hardworking types who couldn’t sit still.

Even though the household chores were mostly done, the daughters-in-law were always out in the fields, never a moment’s rest.

So when Su He mentioned there was work to be done, they all agreed on tomorrow without hesitation.

Seeing things go so smoothly, Su He couldn't help but smile and nod.

Zai Zai and Niu Niu were dragged by Zhuang Zhuang and the others to play hide-and-seek in the village square.

When the sky was still dim, this game was the kids’ go-to after dinner.

Meanwhile, Su He joined her sisters-in-law on the doorstep, shooting the breeze.

"Mom mentioned you started a business in town?" Chen Sufen, the bluntest of the bunch, asked directly.

"Yeah, figured I might as well sell the fried dough I made last time at the town market," Su He replied with a smile.

"I tried it last time—it was really delicious!" Zhang Xiaohua could still taste that fried dough.

No clue how her sister-in-law pulled it off, making sweet potatoes taste so good.

In this era, most flour was hand-ground with stone mills, so it wasn’t as fine.

But Su He's flour came from her space—fine and tasty.

Add to that the way Su He seasoned it with salt and oil, and it was bound to be delicious.

"I like it too, so I thought I’d try selling it," Su He said with a laugh.

"Su He grew up in the city—she’s just quicker on the uptake. Folks like us, green as we are, only know how to do manual labor."

He Fangfang was downright envious of Su He’s smarts. She had always been a bit slow and wasn’t good with words.

After seeing how Su He had stood her ground for the kids so well, she wished she could speak as eloquently.

"No need to fret, sisters. Just focus on planting the durian trees. As for selling them, I’ll handle that," Su He reassured them.

Honestly, Su He had to hand it to the women of this era.

Farm work was truly exhausting—even Su He, who had once lived in the countryside, couldn’t hack it.

Thankfully, she’d split off from the Fu household. Otherwise, farm work would’ve been the death of her.

If she could lead the Fu family to prosperity, they’d have it easier in the future.

But for now, Su He herself was still broke, stuck in a crumbling mud hut.

Still, she knew damn well that, future-knowledge and all, she would eventually prosper.

"Are you really going to schlep all that stuff alone? You sure you can handle it?" He Fangfang asked worriedly.

She thought Su He was still pushing a cart herself, hauling a big load of fruit to sell in town or the city.

These women had never stepped foot outside Shangyao Village and had no idea how Su He planned to sell the goods.

Su He smiled and replied, "Don’t worry, Sis, I can manage on my own."

She didn’t explain much to the Fu family, mainly because nothing was set in stone yet, and she wasn’t sure how to explain.

After chatting with Su He for a while, the sisters-in-law grew even fonder of her.

Su He had a way with words and knew how to put people at ease when she wanted to win them over.

"My little troublemaker Zhuang Zhuang is always acting like a little boss, but tonight when I got back, he wouldn’t stop talking about how much he likes you."

Zhang Xiaohua was quite helpless with her son. He was lively by nature and the ringleader of the kids, so Wu Yanhua adored him.

Sometimes even Wu Yanhua couldn’t control this mischievous boy, yet he was on his best behavior around Su He.

"Kids just love running around in a pack. Maybe it’s because they can make as much noise as they want at my place without being scolded by the adults, so they like staying there."

The sisters-in-law chatted animatedly, and the mood was just right for a while.