Reborn in the 1980s: I became a stepmother in the 1980s

Part 110 It's not that you can only marry into the village.

Sinian looked at the unfamiliar face, a young woman around her own age.

Sinian: "Who are you?"

The woman greeted Sinian's younger brothers who were grilling meat: "Lin Feng, Lin Yu, you're here too. When I came over just now, your mother asked me to find you and told you to come back quickly."

Lin Feng and Lin Yu turned to look at her, and their expressions changed: "Second sis."

Sinian asked in confusion: "Who are you?"

The woman chuckled: "Oops, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Lin Xue. My father is your father's older brother, half a year younger than you. I'm your cousin."

Sinian: "...Oh, is there something you need?"

Lin Xue's eyes flashed, and she pursed her lips, a hint of dissatisfaction in her attitude. But thinking about her purpose, she suppressed it: "Sis, I just went to the livestock farm to buy pork, and I heard that your family was slaughtering a pig, so I came to take a look. I want you to help me reserve ten pounds of pork belly."

Lin Xue had rushed over after hearing that the good cuts of meat were already sold out. Only the less desirable parts remained. Initially, she had thought of heading back, but along the way, she heard people mentioning that the Zhou family was slaughtering a pig. This reminded her of her cousin who seemed to have married into the Zhou family. So, she hurriedly made her way there.

The last time the Zhou family had sent meat to the Lin family, she had heard about it. She had envied Sinian since childhood; Sinian's marriage to such a wealthy family had stirred up gossip surrounding her. When they were young, Lin Sisi had a better life, better grades, and was prettier. Lin Xue had been stopped from continuing her education after junior high, while Lin Sisi had gone on to attend high school. It was inevitable for people of the same age to be compared. Lin Xue had always felt inferior to Lin Sisi.

Now with Sinian in the picture, she wanted to come and see for herself what the fuss was all about. At the moment she laid eyes on Sinian, she was shocked. How could a woman be so beautiful? But soon after, she dismissed it as nothing special.

Lin Xue had rushed over after hearing that the good cuts of meat were already sold out. Only the less desirable parts remained. Initially, she had thought of heading back, but along the way, she heard people mentioning that the Zhou family was slaughtering a pig. This reminded her of her cousin who seemed to have married into the Zhou family. So, she hurriedly made her way there.

The last time the Zhou family had sent meat to the Lin family, she had heard about it. She had envied Sinian since childhood; Sinian's marriage to such a wealthy family had stirred up gossip surrounding her. When they were young, Lin Sisi had a better life, better grades, and was prettier. Lin Xue had been stopped from continuing her education after junior high, while Lin Sisi had gone on to attend high school. It was inevitable for people of the same age to be compared. Lin Xue had always felt inferior to Lin Sisi.

Now with Sinian in the picture, she wanted to come and see for herself what the fuss was all about. At the moment she laid eyes on Sinian, she was shocked. How could a woman be so beautiful? But soon after, she dismissed it as nothing special.

Lin Xue thought to herself, despite Sinian's beauty, she was still just married into the village like the rest of them, not much different. Perhaps she felt a bit envious. Although Zhou Yueshen didn't have the best reputation and had so many children, he was indeed a real boss, living in such a big house. She had just heard that half of the pig was going to be sent to her uncle's house. Considering the relationship between the two families, it shouldn't be difficult for Sinian to save a few pounds of pork for her. She had been here to buy meat before; the amount available at the breeding farm was limited, and the good cuts were always taken quickly. The prices were cheap compared to the market, especially for the residents of Happiness Village. Prices might be a bit higher for people from other villages, but still manageable. However, now that the Zhou family had married her uncle's daughter, shouldn't they offer even more preferential treatment to relatives like them?

Lin Xue thought that by coming over now, she could establish a familiar face and get their help to save the best cuts of meat for her in the future. With this in mind, Lin Xue felt more confident.

Sinian responded with a puzzled expression, "Why should I help you save ten pounds of pork belly? Can't you buy it yourself from the breeding farm?"

Ten pounds of pork belly was quite a lot, considering that it accounted for about a quarter of the pork from a single pig. Pork belly was considered one of the best parts of the pig, especially when it had a good ratio of fat to lean meat. It was also quite expensive and in high demand. Lin Xue's request seemed quite audacious, as if they were on familiar terms. One would think they had a good relationship.

Lin Xue's expression changed, then she explained, "Didn't the breeding farm run out of meat? I heard your family slaughtered a pig, so I came to see. Since your family has so many pigs, a little pork belly shouldn't be a problem to spare, right? After all, we're relatives, aren't we?"

Sinian was speechless. "This pig is for our family's banquet. We don't even have enough for ourselves, let alone giving it away. Besides, even if we're relatives, nobody comes knocking on the door asking for meat, right? What's the reasoning behind that? Has begging become so presumptuous these days?"

"Big sister, why are you talking like this? We're relatives. My father is your uncle. If you're giving half to Uncle Er's family, it's only fair to give us ten pounds of pork belly. You're being stingy."

"By the way, I heard you caused a rift between the Zhou siblings. I originally thought it was just a rumor, but now it seems to be true. Did you not destroy the Zhou family's relationship enough? Do you want to ruin the Lin family's relationship too?"

Everyone looked at each other in surprise. Although what had happened before was the fault of others, cutting off relations because of it was indeed too extreme. In the countryside, every family had their squabbles, but they still continued their lives. When something happened, there would always be someone to help. If they had to draw boundaries with everyone, it really wasn't necessary.

After listening, Sinian chuckled. "The Zhou siblings fell out because Zhou Tingting was causing trouble and involving outsiders. When they found out she was in the wrong, she lost face and can't show up now. How did it become me ruining their relationship?"

"Don't slander me. When relationships break down, there's always a reason. Unlike you, coming here out of the blue demanding ten pounds of pork belly. When people don't give it, you accuse me of trying to sabotage relationships."

"Sure, the Zhou family might not lack meat, but that doesn't mean they're fools. We've been neighbors for over a decade or two, and everyone knows you have to pay for meat. But you, you're freeloadin' and then cursin' people out. Ten pounds of pork belly, at current meat prices, would cost at least a dozen bucks. In this day and age when the average wage is thirty bucks a day, you're askin' for ten days' wages with every breath. Got no shame?"

Lin Xue's expression worsened after hearing Sinian's words, and the people around them whispered among themselves.

"Yeah, all our neighbors pay for their meat, and here she is, greedy as can be, asking for ten pounds of pork belly! Can you believe it?"

"Exactly! Even though she's family, Sinian just got married and hasn't been around the Lin family much. What kind of feelings does she have the right to expect? Why should they save meat for her?"

"Alright, I've done the math. Let's call it a family discount, twelve bucks. Give me the money now, and I'll make sure they set aside the meat for you. We don't want you complaining about how we're family yet so strict with you," Sinian said with a smirk, half-jokingly.

Lin Xue's face turned red, feeling trapped. In truth, she had only come to try and get a couple of pounds of meat as per her family's request, but upon hearing that half the pig was being given away to the Lin family for free, she couldn't resist being a bit greedy and asked for more than she could afford.

In reality, she didn't have that much money on her. After stammering for a while, she couldn't produce the money. Feeling embarrassed and annoyed, she said, "I'll pay you, it's just that I don't have the money right now. How about you give me the meat first, and I'll have someone from my family bring the money over later?"