Grandma Qin's words were like sharp knives, stabbing at Father Qin's heart with every thrust.
Although his mother's words were directed at everyone, he felt they were aimed specifically at him.
Ever since they became refugees, he had felt like a useless person in the family. His second brother went to the salt lake to collect salt, his third brother had the brains to discuss matters with their mother, and even his wife could cook and earn money.
But he was not useless.
"Mother," Father Qin spoke before anyone else, "I will get the meat back."
Grandma Qin raised an eyebrow slightly, got down from the kàng, and looked at her son. Her anger had subsided considerably. "Alright, I'll wait to eat the meat."
The other Qin family members looked at Father Qin in astonishment, thinking they had misheard.
Father Qin glanced at the expressions of his family members in the room, then turned and walked out.
The others also followed Father Qin out of the room. The loss of the meat was not just Father Qin's responsibility.
"Where are you going?" Grandma Qin grabbed Qin Junyao's arm, preventing her from leaving.
"Grandma, the meat is gone, we can buy more tomorrow. Why make Father and the others difficult? When Granny Sun came to take the meat, I don't believe Father and the others didn't try to stop her. Since they couldn't, there must be a reason."
"How can we get it back now?"
Qin Junyao's words didn't make Grandma Qin release her. "Why can't we get it back? If your father can't, you still have me, your grandmother."
"Besides, those little hammers and axes from New Year's need to be returned. If we ask them, won't we still have meat to eat?"
This made Qin Junyao a bit confused. If that was the case, they should just wait for Zhao Liangcai to return.
"Sigh," Grandma Qin sighed, released Qin Junyao's hand, and sat back on the kàng. "Your father is feeling wronged."
"He's not stupid, he was just too sensible since he was young. If you let him take charge of something, he can have a smooth year."
After speaking, Grandma Qin pointed her finger at Qin Junyao's eyes. "What kind of look is that? Your father is my son, how can I not think of him? I'm not just any old lady."
Qin Junyao...
Father Qin went out for a walk and didn't return until dinnertime. After eating, he went out again.
That night, before going to sleep, Qin Xiaoyu excitedly tried on the pearl flowers and hair ties Qin Junyao had bought her, wishing she could wear them all at once.
"Let's go to sleep. Tomorrow, let Grandma comb your hair, she's very good at styling." Qin Junyao lay on the kàng, calling to her sister who had played all afternoon.
"Sister, we can't tomorrow. Tomorrow, Father has to go to the Zhao family to get the meat. We can't dress up nicely." Qin Xiaoyu was obedient when she was in a good mood. She carefully wrapped her belongings into a bundle and put them away. She blew out the oil lamp and climbed onto the kàng.
"Did you go eavesdropping again?"
"I didn't. Don't talk to me, I'm asleep."
Just as Qin Xiaoyu said, the next day Father Qin went to the Zhao family early in the morning.
Besides their own family and the Hou family members who came after hearing the news, many other villagers were also present.
There were original villagers from Dayangshu Village, and also the families of the Salt Army's eight divisions. They seemed to get along well with Father Qin.
After knocking on the Zhao family's gate, a doorkeeper opened it for Father Qin.
Mother Qin stepped forward and said, "We are here to see Madam Zhao. She has a servant with ill intentions by her side, and we cannot stand by and watch her be deceived."
"Yes, please invite Madam Zhao out. With such a major incident, Madam Zhao doesn't even know? Such a servant cannot be kept."
"Exactly. If it wasn't for Brother Qin speaking the truth, we wouldn't have known that old woman was so wicked."
These people who spoke up were the villagers who had come along, clearly supporting Mother Qin.
When Madam Qian came out with her people, a large crowd had already gathered at the Zhao family's gate, all there to watch the commotion.
"Everyone is here so early, is there something you need?" Madam Qian smiled at everyone, but Mother Qin was so startled by Madam Qian's gaze that she took a step back.
"We, we."
"We are here to tell Madam Zhao that Granny Sun, who is by your side, is not a good person." Father Qin pulled Mother Qin to his side and spoke to Madam Qian.
Madam Qian's eyes flickered, and she smiled at Father Qin, saying, "My good villager, where does this come from?"
"Five days ago, she came to our house to collect the wrongly distributed lamb, and she also took our homemade cured meat, saying it was your order. Yesterday, my mother returned and said that Madam Zhao is not someone who takes advantage of villagers."
"It's our fault that we don't interact much in the village and don't understand Madam Zhao's character. Yesterday, when we asked, we learned that Madam Zhao is not someone who bullies people with her influence."
As Father Qin finished speaking, someone chimed in.
"Yes, we all know Madam Zhao's character, and General Zhao has never troubled us."
"I thought it was strange when that Granny Sun came that day. I saw the cured meat made by Sister-in-law Qin, how could it suddenly become mistakenly distributed meat?"
"Madam Zhao, that Granny Sun dares to do this in our village. If she causes a big disaster for you outside, it won't be good."
Listening to everyone's words, Madam Qian's hands, placed in front of her, clenched tightly. If it were just the Qin family's word, she could have refuted it.
Now, with other villagers as witnesses, and acting under the guise of acting for her own good, what could she do?
Madam Qian had never expected the Qin family to come looking for her. Didn't Zhou's family not even dare to speak up?
She had not only taken the Qin family's two sheep, but she had also gone to Zhou's family and asked them for twenty sheep. And Zhou's family had obediently given them to her.
How did the Qin family have the courage to make trouble at the general's doorstep?
If it were other villagers, they certainly wouldn't dare. Even the village chief's family might have to suffer in silence. Before, the Qin father and his family didn't want to offend the Zhao family.
Although Grandma Qin always emphasized at home that Zhao Liangcai didn't want Madam Qian to have an easy time, Father Qin thought that was their private family matter behind closed doors, and they should maintain appearances in front of outsiders.
Qian Duo then walked out from the courtyard with a smile. "Aunt, I've sent someone to call for Granny Sun. Our household cannot have such a presumptuous slave."
Qin Junyao observed closely, Qian Duo was even more beautiful than before, and her demeanor had become more stable, making her appear more confident.
Qian Duo believed that she was now of great use to Zhao Liangcai, and becoming the matriarch of the Zhao family was only a matter of time. Of course, she felt good about herself.
In a few more days, Fu Zi would have an accident. She would comfort Zhao Liangcai during his vulnerable moment, and marrying into the Zhao family would be a sure thing.
Granny Sun was brought over and of course tried to quibble. However, the villagers who had accompanied Father Qin firmly stated that they had seen Granny Sun take the cured meat made by Mother Qin. Granny Sun's claims were useless. She couldn't even say that Madam Qian had ordered her to do it, so she could only take a slap and apologize to the Qin family.
The remaining cured meat was returned to the Qin family, and Madam Qian paid compensation in copper coins for the part that had been eaten.
On the way back, Father Qin thanked the families who had helped, and Mother Qin also said they would invite everyone to their home for a meal soon.
In the month that Qin Junyao and Grandma Qin were away, Father Qin seemed to have made many friends.
"Dad, how did you become so friendly with them?" Qin Junyao couldn't help but ask Father Qin as soon as they got home.
Father Qin was also very happy that their homemade cured meat had been successfully retrieved. He smiled and told his daughter, "Actually, people in the Northwest are very easy to get along with. Initially, they disliked us because they thought we had occupied their houses."
"After General Zhao spoke last time, when some families got their money back from the village chief, their attitude towards us changed."
Grandma Qin shook her head as she listened from behind. Their change of opinion might be true, but for them to help their family so much, it must be that their eldest son and his two daughters-in-law had helped others with their work a lot.