Madam Liu also knew that her maternal family’s circumstances were not great. Saving a couple taels a year was considered good for them. Because she had a weak constitution, her mother would subsidize her from time to time. When her children’s father had an accident, the family had already taken over two taels to help…to be able to give her ten taels now, she didn’t know where her mother had gone to borrow the money.

She pushed the pouch back and said, “The mud bricks on the house are still usable. As long as we chop some trees down to fix the beams of the roof and then rethatch it with straw, it will be livable. Mother, you and the family also don’t have an easy time at home. My older brothers and their wives all live frugally and it’s only with great difficulty does the family get to save some money. How could you continue to subsidize, me, a daughter who has already gotten married?”

Madam Liu’s eldest sister-in-law, Madam Han, took the embroidered pouch from Madam Yao and stuffed it into her younger sister-in-law’s hands and said, “You and your family will be living in this house, so it’s important that it gets completely fixed. I already looked it over, the kang beds in all of the rooms are unusable. Also this bamboo fence…Younger Sister’s family lives far away from the village and next to a large mountain, this fence is not safe enough. With all these expenses, ten taels may not even be enough! Quickly take it, don’t...