Chapter 21 Partiality
Jiang Daguo looked at his daughter in Liu Xihua's arms and expressed his agreement with her opinion.

"With the whole family working together, we won't be overwhelmed. Meilan is not allowed to play on the road after school. Come home early to help." Jiang Daguo looked at Jiang Meilan and said.

Jiang Meilan muttered, "Brother, didn't you say that if I study hard, I won't have to farm?"

"Now we have contracted production to each household and there are no more work points. If you don't help, the family won't be able to handle the farm work. Where will your tuition come from?" Jiang Daguo said with a sullen face.

Jiang Meilan was stumped by the question and lowered her head, "I know, big brother."

Jiang Meihua listened to her family's discussion without interrupting, with a sad expression on her face.

"Meihua, why do you look so sad? What do you think?" Jiang Daguo noticed that Jiang Meihua had been sighing and asked hurriedly.

"Brother, I am in the production team herding and feeding cattle. I am slow at farm work and I am afraid that I will be a drag on the whole family."

[Second Aunt is not afraid, slow work produces fine work. Second Aunt can continue to look after the cows, and earn work points for the production team. In the future, she can also collect money for looking after cows for others.]

Jiang Meihua was skeptical. Can you get money for looking after cows?
On the last day of May, the Qianjin Production Brigade in Hongqi Town assigned all the production rights of the responsible fields to every household.

Everyone's enthusiasm suddenly increased, and some families went to the fields to weed and water after dinner.

The next day was June 1st, a festive day.

The Brigade Primary School celebrated Children's Day with great joy, and lively singing came from the loudspeakers.

The fields were also filled with joy. Because it was Sunday, the junior high and high school students who were on holiday were brought to the fields by their families, and every household was busy working.

The Jiang family is no exception.

Except for Aunt Jiang and the baby Jiang Xiaoxiao who were at home, everyone else went out to the fields.

Jiang Meilan didn't know how to do farm work, so Jiang Daguo assigned her to weed and catch insects.

Jiang Meilan, who has a boyish personality, is not afraid of insects. She just reaches out and pinches them, and does so very quickly.

Jiang Daguo couldn't help but give her a thumbs up.
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The other family members went to the fields, and the housework was done by Aunt Jiang alone.

Sweeping the floor, washing clothes, feeding chickens, and cooking.

In addition, she also has to take care of the breastfeeding Jiang Xiaoxiao.

Aunt Jiang was unhappy.

She didn't listen to a word Liu Xihua told her and didn't do anything.

I just sat under the shade of the tree at the gate of the yard, chatting with my neighbor, Grandma Gui, who was of the same age and could not do farm work.

In the middle of the morning, a fat boy of seven or eight years old came to the Jiang family, jumping and skipping.

He had rouge on both sides of his face, a mole between his eyebrows, a small military cap on his head, a children's version of an old military uniform, and a wooden gun painted with ink hanging on his waist.

Seeing his expression, Grandma Gui laughed, "Xiao Shengzi, are you performing an opera?"

"Yes, how did you know?" Huang Sheng widened his eyes with a look of surprise.

"You have makeup on your face and your clothes look really smart." Grandma Gui pulled his hat and said with a laugh.

"It's a program for Children's Day, right?" Aunt Jiang considered herself to be a knowledgeable daughter of a landlord when she was young, and she immediately realized that her grandson was dressed up for the festival. She raised her eyebrows and looked at Aunt Gui with contempt.

"Yes, grandma, I'm praising you for catching a traitor." Huang Sheng pulled out the wooden spear from the small belt around his waist and made a face like he was catching a bad guy. He pointed the wooden spear at Grandma Gui, "Don't move, raise your hands!"

Grandma Gui was startled, and immediately laughed and scolded, "Bad boy."

Aunt Jiang was very proud that her grandson did not let her be a "bad person".

"Your forehead is sweating. Come in and have some water." Aunt Jiang took her grandson's hand and went into the house.

Listening to the grandparents and grandchildren drinking water and chatting and laughing in the outer room, Jiang Xiaoxiao, who was sweating and having a dry mouth in the bedroom, felt furious.

Yes, Aunt Jiang has always been like this. She only likes children born to her eldest daughter.

Even though Liu Xihua gave birth to a son later, his status was not as high as that of Jiang Meizhi's son.

Whenever Aunt Jiang got something delicious or fun, she would always secretly give it to Jiang Meizhi's son.

The children of Liu Xihua and Jiang Daguo could only watch and could not complain.

The original owner was picked up and was not worthy of enjoying the benefits of Aunt Jiang, but the son that Liu Xihua gave birth to later was also not liked by Aunt Jiang.

Liu Xihua's son was thin and not as strong as Huang Sheng, the son born to her aunt Jiang Meizhi.

In the village, whether it is a man or a woman, being thin means poor health and poor ability.

What's more, Jiang Meizhi's children are eight years older than Liu Xihua's son, and Aunt Jiang has liked them for eight longer years. Emotionally, Liu Xihua's children have lost.

"Shengwa, just sit still and let grandma get you something delicious to eat."

"What's delicious?" Huang Sheng asked while drinking honey water from a bowl.

"These are the candies that grandma saved up especially for you. Do you like them?" Aunt Jiang smiled and took out an enamel jar from the treasure cabinet in the main hall. She opened the lid and grabbed a few candies and gave them to Huang Sheng.

Huang Sheng took the candy and started eating it immediately. "Grandma, my mom said that my uncle also bought some milk powder. She asked me to ask you for some."

"Milk powder? Yes, yes, yes. How can a little be enough for my little darling? Grandma will give you a pack. Just wait." Aunt Jiang patted Huang Sheng's shoulder, pushed open Liu Xihua's bedroom door, and started searching in the room.

Finally, she took out a packet of milk powder from the bottom of a drawer.

"Shengwa, come here, this is the milk powder. Take it home and ask mom to make it for you. Drink it and you will grow taller." Aunt Jiang stood at the door of the room and waved to Huang Sheng.

Jiang Xiaoxiao clenched her little fists. Jiang Meizhi actually asked her son to ask for her milk powder?
Jiang Meizhi, the eldest aunt of the Jiang family, has a son who is over seven years old and is in the first grade of primary school. How can he have the nerve to eat the food rations of her two-month-old baby?
Aunt Jiang gave birth to four children. The eldest, Jiang Daguo, was honest and kind like Uncle Jiang. The third, Jiang Meihua, was kind-hearted but timid and cowardly. The fourth, Jiang Meilan, was a tomboy and heartless.

The second daughter, Jiang Meizhi, has the same temper as Aunt Jiang, she is arrogant and looks down on everyone. She is obviously just a girl from a poor farm family, with ordinary looks and has never been to school, but she is conceited and insists that she is destined to be rich and should marry into the city to eat commercial grain and live in a building.

The man she married through a blind date was honest and reliable, and his family was well-off, but she didn't like him at all. Later, she cheated on her husband with a man who claimed to be from the city and was 20 years older than her.

The man coaxed her into saying that he was the director of a department in City A and that he could help her transfer her household registration to the city. She only needed to pay a sum of money to the local Civil Affairs Bureau to complete the transfer.

Jiang Meizhi believed it and stole all the family savings. She also borrowed some money and collected 6,000 yuan to give to the city man.

Six thousand yuan in 1980 was enough to build two houses in the village.

But after the man took the money, he pretended to go to the toilet and disappeared.

Of the 6,000 yuan, 800 yuan was saved by Jiang Daguo and Liu Xihua through their frugality.

(End of this chapter)