C19 Digging Sweet Potatoes

"Yeah, with all the bamboo around here, she's planning to make some furniture and screens. If arranged well, it could be a charming, vintage-style room, much better than living with the Shi family!

That night, the three sisters enjoyed a comfortable sleep.

The next day, they divided the chores: one tidied up the house, another went fishing, and the third stayed home to weave mats. Although the two younger sisters were physically weak, they were skilled workers, having grown up in the countryside. Crafting simple items was no problem for them. However, even with their skills, there wasn't much demand in the village since most people could do it themselves.

Xiaoxia had great luck today, catching three fish about the size of her palm. On her way back, she also gathered some wild greens and found a few sweet potatoes. Dinner was sorted! But going without rice wasn't sustainable. She could manage, but her sisters were more fragile.

After tidying up inside and out, she looked at the pile of bamboo in the backyard. She needed to figure out a way to trade it for some rice.

'Big Sis, maybe we should go back and ask for some?'

Go back? Those stingy folks at the house wouldn't give them anything, but it did remind her! Their branch of the family still had two plots of land. The crops in those fields were planted by the three sisters. She remembered one plot had rice and the other sweet potatoes!"

"Perfect time to dig up some sweet potatoes, and maybe trade them in town for some rice!"

"Xiaoqiu, Xiaodong, you two stay home. I'll be right back!" Xiaoxia said, grabbing a basket and heading out.

The two nodded, always following Xiaoxia's instructions without question.

Relying on the memories of the original owner, Xiaoxia found her way to the sweet potato field. Sweet potatoes are easy to grow, thriving even in poor soil, and this land was quite fertile.

She set the basket aside and started digging.

"Xiaoyu, are you here to dig sweet potatoes too?"

Xiaoxia turned around to see Mrs. Wang from next door. Known for her quick tongue, Mrs. Wang could spread news across the village in no time, often adding a bit of embellishment. Xiaoxia wasn't fond of such women, so she just glanced at her and continued her work.

Mrs. Wang tightened her grip on her basket. Living next door to the Shi family, she was well aware of their every move. She hurried back, eager to share the news with them.

At the Shi family’s doorstep, she craned her neck, waiting for someone to appear, but no one came out. The Shi family was in the middle of wedding preparations, so barging in felt inappropriate. Yet, not sharing the news made her uneasy, like ants crawling under her skin.

After waiting a while with no one in sight, she decided to leave. Just then, she spotted Zhou Guihua with a sullen face and rushed over. "Second sister-in-law of the Shi family, something's happened! I just came from the sweet potato field, and guess what I saw?"

Zhou Guihua glanced up lazily and said, "Mrs. Wang, I'm really not in the mood to hear your stories right now!"

Her son was gone, and she had no interest in listening to neighborhood gossip. Mrs. Wang's visit only added to her irritation.

"Don't go!" Mrs. Wang grabbed her arm. "It's about Xiaoxia, that troublemaker from your family. She's out in the sweet potato field with a basket, digging up sweet potatoes!"

Digging up sweet potatoes? The nerve!

How dare she dig up the family's sweet potatoes! She had left the family quietly, claiming she wanted nothing during the split, but now she was taking advantage of the family's mourning to steal?

Those sweet potatoes were meant to be sold for money, not for her to take! Even if they were fed to the dogs, she shouldn't get a single one!

Fuming, Zhou Guihua stormed out a few steps, then suddenly remembered something. She turned back to the yard, grabbed a bamboo stick, and headed toward the sweet potato field.

She hadn't even confronted Xiaoxia about the incident at the county office yet, and now she was back to stealing!

"Hey, be careful!" Shi Xiaoyu called out from inside the house, watching everything unfold and following after.

When Zhou Guihua reached the field, Xiaoxia had already dug up a basket full and was heading back.

Stealing a whole basket at once—what audacity!

With long strides, she walked over, tossed the bamboo pole aside, and snatched the basket from Xiaoxia's hands, hurling it to the ground. Sweet potatoes scattered everywhere!

Xiaoxia stumbled back, nearly falling, but managed to steady herself after a few steps. "Oh, it's you, Aunt Zhou!"

"What do you think you're doing, Xiaoxia?" Zhou Guihua's eyes blazed with a hatred that seemed almost palpable, her presence chilling the air around them.

Xiaoxia smiled faintly. This land belonged to the First Branch, rightfully theirs. They had tilled the soil, planted the sweet potatoes, and weeded the fields. So, what was there to be angry about?

She bent down to pick up the basket, but Zhou Guihua snatched it away.

A brand-new basket?

"Did you steal this from home?"

"Aunt, surely you can see this is Xiaoqiu's handiwork? What, now that we've split the family, we can't even make a basket? By your logic, every basket in Red Apricot Village must have been stolen from the Shi family," Xiaoxia retorted sarcastically.

She knew the Shi family could be harsh, but she hadn't expected them to be this unreasonable.

They could turn black into white!