Chapter 208 The Bai Family's Life in the Countryside
The Western-style house had been particularly busy these past few days, with everyone looking forward to their new life.
Ye Mu En also went out with her sister every day to stock up, buying things only available in imported stores to put on display, which she could later replenish from her spatial storage.
Even the elderly couple were busy packing items at home. Looking at the packages filling the entire living room, they felt a sense of contentment. With these provisions, life in the countryside wouldn't be too difficult.
Mo Lin and Xiao Tiantian were organizing the clothes their sister had made. Three sets for each season, covering the entire year. In the countryside, this was definitely a lot of clothes, but their sister had used the most inconspicuous fabrics, so they wouldn't be too eye-catching.
Meanwhile, in the countryside, Mom Ye had also started receiving packages. Fortunately, their house was far from the village, so whenever she collected packages from the county town, she pushed a cart along a small path home, thus avoiding the villagers' attention.
Old Mr. Bai and Old Mrs. Bai adapted well to country life. Due to their advanced age, they no longer needed to work in the fields.
Old Mr. Bai and Old Mrs. Bai had been deeply in love their entire lives, having grown up together as childhood sweethearts. They had experienced great wealth and turbulent times. To still be together at this age was no small feat, so they cherished every remaining day.
Although the Bai family hadn't split up, the elderly couple no longer participated in family affairs. After all, their children were already nearing the age of becoming grandparents.
The old couple had a total of seven children. Even in such a prosperous family, only five children had survived. Four sons and one daughter. Mom Ye was the only daughter of the Bai family, considered the apple of their eye. Even at her current age, she was still doted on by the Bai family.
Bai Laoda, Bai Shu Zhao, was married to Dong Hui Zhen and had two sons: Bai Chu Fan, 22, and Bai Chu Mo, 18.
Bai Lao Er, Bai Shu Yu, was married to Wu Yun and had two sons: Bai Chen Xi, 19, and Bai Chen Yi, 16.
Bai Laosan, Bai Shu Ming, was married to Guan Ling and had two sons: Bai Yuan Hao, 16, and Bai Yuan Han, 14.
Bai Laowu, Bai Shu Mu, was 25 years old and unmarried.
Mom Ye was the fourth child. She had given birth to the Bai family's only granddaughter. Therefore, girls held a very, very high status in the Bai family, given the family's strong male dominance.
Mom Ye was currently living directly at the Bai family's residence. Their own home was empty, and she didn't even know how to light a traditional stove, so she could only eat and drink at her parents' home.
Now, arriving in the countryside, Mom Ye was suffering because she also had to work in the fields. Although the team leader had assigned her the simplest task of weeding, her old back would ache after a short while.
The Bai family members weren't faring any better. These were all people accustomed to a life of ease, and manual labor in the countryside was very difficult for them to adapt to.
Within half a day, a pile of people were lying on their beds in the Bai family's house, groaning in pain.
The three daughters-in-law of the Bai family had to endure the pain all over their bodies, resting for a bit before getting up to cook. The elderly couple had been served their entire lives and had never been in a kitchen.
Mom Ye also struggled to follow them into the kitchen. She thought of her daughter and couldn't bear the thought of her coming home to a household where no one knew how to cook. The only fortunate thing was that her husband and son were strong; they would handle the fieldwork in the future.
"Qi Qi, we've got the kitchen covered. You go out and rest quickly."
The eldest daughter-in-law looked at her listless sister-in-law and didn't dare to order her around. The sisters-in-law had been thoroughly indoctrinated; in the Bai family, they absolutely had to dote on their sister-in-law.
Mom Ye waved her hand, keenly aware of the current situation. In the past, when she had people taking care of her, no one in the family had to work, and no one complained.
Now that everything had to be done personally, she was too embarrassed to wait for her sisters-in-law to serve her. Besides, she knew how to cook; she just didn't know how to start a fire, and her cooking wasn't very good.
"Sisters-in-law, I want to learn how to cook from you. Otherwise, when my daughter comes, we'll just starve. Old Ye and Mu En can't even boil water."
Actually, Mom Ye had misunderstood Ye Dad and her son. In their previous lives, they had experienced countless wilderness survival situations, so how could they not know how to cook? They just weren't very skilled.
They could throw rice into a pot or roast meat, but they didn't know how to stir-fry or knead dough for noodles.
Now, unlike their previous lives where everything was readily available, eating noodles here required them to make them by hand, which indeed demanded higher living skills.
The eldest daughter-in-law came from a poor family. She and Bai Laoda were classmates, and they had mutual affection at school. When they reached a suitable age, Bai Laoda quickly married her.
The Bai family was rare in that they didn't emphasize family background, only character. Therefore, the eldest daughter-in-law, despite her background, was never looked down upon in the Bai family.
Now, arriving in the countryside, the eldest daughter-in-law's advantages were evident. She quickly got back to the tasks she had been doing since childhood.
"Exactly, eldest sister-in-law. My third sister-in-law and I also need to get up to speed quickly. Otherwise, feeding our family of over ten people is a major undertaking."
The second daughter-in-law, although she had lived in good conditions since childhood, was also a sensible and well-behaved person. She knew that life in the countryside was very difficult now and that they couldn't rely on just one person.
"Yes, eldest sister-in-law. It wasn't obvious before, but now I realize there's no real benefit to having so many sons. They eat a lot, and the rations they earn are barely enough to eat."
The third daughter-in-law was someone who kept a close eye on their finances. She was well aware that the work points earned by the family members could barely sustain them.
The eldest daughter-in-law had always been gentle and open-minded, never dwelling on trivial matters. As long as the family was harmonious and lived in peace and prosperity, she was content.
"Alright, all of you, learn well. Even if we're in the countryside, we can't be sloppy with our food."
The eldest daughter-in-law scooped three large ladles of white flour from the flour bin and mixed it with fine cornmeal from another bin.
"Let's make some flatbread too. It's more filling."
The third daughter-in-law sighed as she looked at the white flour in the kneading basin.
"If it weren't for Zi family's boy preparing so much fine grain in advance, we'd be eating coarse grains like the other families in the village."
Mom Ye scoffed inwardly at this. All this grain was prepared by her. She had just sold it to Zi Yi Sheng, that fellow, but he was quite efficient.
The eldest daughter-in-law was good at comforting people.
"Our family's labor force is probably the largest in the village. It's just that we haven't learned farming yet. Once we're proficient, we'll definitely earn full work points.
Later, we can buy more fine grains from the black market, and it'll be no different from before. When our brother-in-law and nephew arrive, they'll just need to go up the mountain to hunt, and we won't be short of game to eat."
The women's spirits immediately lifted. They felt that life wouldn't be so bad. Once the men in the family could work, they would stop going to the fields and would only focus on managing the household.
Old Mr. Bai and Old Mrs. Bai listened to the conversation in the kitchen and exchanged glances. Their daughters-in-law were all good women, capable of living both comfortably and through hardship.
They were already luckier than many people. They had their son-in-law protecting them before, and now they could safely hide in the countryside. This life held hope.