Phoebe Huxley, however, grew even more impatient. Sniveling women were her biggest pet peeve. Instead of wasting time crying, they could be getting more work done.
"You've been in the countryside for five or six years, and you still can't even carry a hoe. It's not like you miss any meals, so besides shitting and pissing, what else are you good for? Now you don't even go out to work. Who are you trying to impress, staying home all day combing your hair and getting dolled up?
If you have that much free time, go clear more wasteland on the mountain and plant more potatoes, soybeans, corn, and sorghum. Don't always make your son do it—he's only twelve years old! You're his mother, for crying out loud. My heart aches for him even if yours doesn't. I have no idea what kind of mother you are, still acting like you're some rich man's wife!"
