RPAGF Chapter 77 60 The Youngest Daughter of a Farming Family (10)
Chapter 77 60 The Youngest Daughter of a Farming Family (10)
Having found the address and the editor's contact information, Xia Mingwei quickly took out paper and pen and copied them down.
Looking at the addresses in the notebook, Xia Mingwei's eyes sparkled. At that moment, she seemed to see a large sum of money beckoning to her. If others saw this, they would definitely laugh, thinking she had already received the payment before even submitting the article.
However, Xia Mingwei remembered something crucial.
At this time, the Xia family had not yet divided their property, and most of the household items were shared. Besides farm work, the two older brothers would occasionally take on odd jobs. Their wives would also pocket some of the money from these jobs. Xia's mother was aware of this but didn't want to argue with them, so she turned a blind eye and let it pass.
However, Xia Mingwei's two sisters-in-law didn't understand and thought that their actions were clever and had fooled Xia's mother. They were very pleased with themselves for this.
Now it was Xia Mingwei's turn. She didn't want her manuscript to be used by someone else for nothing. If her two sisters-in-law benefited from it, she would be disgusted.
With that in mind, she decided to make the submission clear and transparent. That way, they wouldn't be able to criticize her in the future.
Having made up her mind, Xia Mingwei quickly began her series of actions.
At another dinner table, Xia Mingwei began her spectacular performance.
While the whole family was eating, she put down her chopsticks, as if she couldn't eat.
This series of actions successfully caught Xia's mother's attention.
"Daughter, what's wrong? Is the food bad and you don't want to eat?" she asked Xia Mingwei with concern.
Her questioning of Xia Mingwei successfully provoked the resentment of her two sisters-in-law. Although their outward expressions remained unchanged, their inner thoughts were racing.
"Can't eat anymore? I guess you really think you're some rich heiress, too bad you're not cut out for it!"
"You're always so delicate! I'm a city person and I haven't said anything, but what's with all the fuss you, a country bumpkin, have to say every day!"
Xia Mingwei raised her head slightly, glanced quickly at her two sisters-in-law, and shook her head at her mother.
Looking at Xia Mingwei shaking her head, Xia's mother frowned. "That's not the reason. Then tell your mother, what's on your mind?"
Xia Mingwei opened and closed her mouth, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.
This startled Xia's mother greatly. She shook Xia Mingwei's shoulder, "Weiwei, what happened? Tell your mother! Are you trying to worry your mother to death?"
Xia Mingwei apologized to her mother in her heart before raising her head and speaking her true feelings.
"Mom, I recently wrote an article, and I'd like to submit it to an editor!"
Hearing this, Xia's mother felt relieved; thankfully, it wasn't anything serious.
Relieved, she spoke up, "If you want to submit an article, then go ahead and submit it!"
Actually, she didn't know what editing and submitting articles were, but she supported whatever her daughter wanted to do.
"Mom, we need stamps and envelopes for submitting articles!" Xia Mingwei spoke up again.
Xia's mother had a new idea about this matter. It turned out her daughter was telling her this because she wanted money!
She gave Xia Mingwei a reproachful look. Her daughter was really something. She could have just told her about this in private. It wasn't like she wasn't going to give her money. Why did she have to bring it up in public? Now that her eldest son's wife and second son's wife both knew, there would probably be a lot of trouble!
Despite her thoughts, Xia's mother acted swiftly. She took out the money from the iron box under the bed, counted it again, and pulled out a fifty-cent coin.
Xia's mother turned around and went back to the main room, intending to hand the money to Xia Mingwei.
Seeing that Xia's mother was serious, Lin Fang and Liu Xue'er could no longer hold back.
"Mother, my little sister only went to school for a few years. What does she know about submitting articles? I bet the editors wouldn't even read what she writes!"
To Xia Mingwei's surprise, Liu Xueer was the first to step forward this time. It was probably Xia's mother's generous offer of five cents that spurred her on.
“That’s right, that’s right, Mom, my second sister-in-law is right! My little sister can’t submit her work!” Lin Fang echoed Liu Xue’er’s words.
Lin Fang didn't know anything about editing or submitting articles, but she saw Xia's mother give money to her sister-in-law. This money was from the public fund; if she spent more on her sister-in-law, she would receive less in the future. Seeing Liu Xue'er's opposition, she naturally had to take sides.
"Besides, giving your sister-in-law five cents is way too much! If you want to give your sister-in-law some pocket money, don't use submitting articles as an excuse!" Liu Xue'er glanced at Xia Mingwei and continued.
Xia Mingwei stood to the side, head bowed, silently calculating in her mind. This second sister-in-law of the original owner was truly no pushover. Just take her ability to stir up trouble, for example; in the Xia family, she was second to none!
Upon hearing Liu Xue'er's words, Xia's mother's expression turned serious, and she put down her bowl and chopsticks.
She stared intently at Liu Xue'er. "Second sister-in-law, what do you mean by that? Do you think I gave Weiwei money from the public funds?"
After Xia's mother said this, Liu Xue'er naturally fell silent. But anyone with a discerning eye could see that this was exactly what she meant.
Ironically, although Liu Xueer didn't say anything more, her "good helper" had other ideas!
“Mother, my sister-in-law is right! If you give all the money to your sister-in-law, we won’t get much when the family property is divided! You’ll have to rely on us for your old age! If you insist on doing this, don’t blame us for not taking care of you in your old age!”
As soon as Lin Fang uttered those words, Liu Xue'er cursed her inwardly as an idiot. While the logic was sound, her bluntness made things awkward for everyone. Besides, she'd dragged her into it too—what else could she be but a fool? She sighed once more, wondering why she'd ever become sisters-in-law with such a stupid pig!
At this moment, Xia's mother was so angry at Lin Fang's words that she was trembling all over. This was something Xia Mingwei hadn't expected. If she had known that Lin Fang's nonsense would make her mother so angry, she would have chosen a different way to make things clear.
Suppressing her anger, Xia's mother roared at Lin Fang, "Your father and I aren't dead yet! Let me tell you, this family still bears the Xia surname, not the Lin surname! Come talk to me about this when you're truly in charge! Your father and I are still capable of working, so I advise you to give up on the idea of dividing the family property now! Besides, your father and I may not necessarily live with you in the future, so put your plans aside for now!"
After saying this, Xia's mother gave Liu Xue'er a meaningful look. Her words were not only directed at Lin Fang, but also a warning to Liu Xue'er.