"Why aren’t the two of you going either?" Lian Shouxin and Lady Zhang asked in unison. Wu Lang and Xiao Qi would have sat at the sa table as Lian Shouxin if they had gone to the Upper Room to eat, which ant dining with Old Master Lian, where no one would give them unpleasant looks.
"It’s nothing much; we didn’t plan on going in the first place," Wu Lang said. "We ca to help my grandpa with his work, not for the al. Once the work is done, we’ll go ho and eat. No one can say anything about that. Besides, it’s not easy for my grandpa and his family to have a al with white flour and pork. With two less mouths to feed, Xiao Qi and I, it’s better off."
Wu Lang’s words seed to be for the good of Old Master Lian and Lady Zhou’s entire family. But there seed to be an odd undertone in his words.
"You can’t talk like that. If you two go to eat, your grandma won’t have anything to say. If neither of you goes, it doesn’t look good to outsiders," Lian Shouxin said earnestly.
Wu Lang’s gaze flickered as if he had sothing to say but held back.
Lian Manman looked at Wu Lang, sensing that he was angry and that what he had just said wasn’t sincere.
"Brother, just say what you’re thinking. There are no outsiders here," Lian Manman urged Wu Lang.
Lian Shouxin had already unhitched Little Yellow Ox from the plow and was harnessing it to the cart. The sun had long set, and a plump moon hung in the eastern sky. In the surrounding fields, only their family had not yet returned ho.
"If it’s for the sake of my grandpa’s face, my dad going alone is enough. Xiao Qi and I shouldn’t go," Wu Lang thought for a mont before saying earnestly, "My mom, my sister, and Manman already don’t have much status in that big family. If Xiao Qi and I follow our dad to eat, while you all don’t, what would that imply? That would an my dad, Xiao Qi, and I acknowledge that my mom, my sister, and Manman are insignificant, as if they are beneath everyone else. If we treat our own family this way, later, people will disregard my mom even more."
"Dad, think about it, why does my mom have no status at ho?"
"Disrespecting my mom, her lack of status, ans disrespecting Xiao Qi and ; we brothers have no status. Dad, you want to be filial to my grandpa and grandma, and Xiao Qi and I, we also need to be filial to our mom... Coming here to help my grandpa farm is being filial to you and grandpa. Now, it’s ti to be filial to mom."
Wu Lang’s speech left everyone speechless.
Lady Zhang’s eyes reddened, and she turned her face away, quickly wiping away the tears from the corner of her eyes.
Lian Manman looked at Wu Lang with surprised admiration. Wu Lang was precocious, but to hear such words from soone his age still shocked Lian Manman. After all, so n never understand this principle in their whole lives, let alone have the courage to vocalize it.
Wu Lang would soon grow into a man capable of supporting the family.
Lian Shouxin was also surprised, at a loss for words for a long while.
"Wu Lang, you can’t say things like that. We are one big family, and they are your grandpa and grandma; it’s different from outsiders with different surnas," Lian Shouxin thought for a while before finally saying with so difficulty. "Your grandma just has that kind of temper, and we ended up with it; there’s nothing we can do. Your mom is submissive and virtuous, and everyone knows that. It’s not like your mom is deaned or anything..."
"Dad, there’s a limit to everything, even with outsiders. If it were people not related to us by blood, would we be in such a hurry to help them work their land? If we were willing to help, they’d surely be grateful and respect us more," Wu Lang retorted. Lian Shouxin, although an adult, had a naïveté in so aspects comparable to that of a child. "Dad, Xiao Qi and I will go eat at our mom’s house and help her with things like lighting the fire."
"Yeah, Dad, I’ll go ho to eat with Mom; I still have to feed the young ox when I get back. Little Yellow Ox is exhausted, and so am I. You go and eat pancakes and stewed at at grandpa’s house," Xiao Qi said, petting the young ox’s head and looking up at Lian Shouxin.
"Ah..." Lian Shouxin scratched his head. Although both Lady Zhang and the children insisted that he go eat at the Old Master’s house, he sohow felt it would be terribly unfair to Lady Zhang if he went.
Lian Shouxin was torn again.
"Why don’t I go and tell my grandpa and grandma that I’ll also go back to our house to eat?" suggested Lian Shouxin.
"Let it be, husband. You go on your own. I’ll take the children back ho to eat," Lady Zhang said, "If none of us go, grandpa might feel uneasy. If just you go, that should represent all of us."
After so discussion, it was decided that Lian Shouxin would go to the main house for dinner, while Lady Zhang would lead the children towards the snack shop.
Wu Lang and Xiao Qi led Little Yellow Ox ahead, while Lian Manman, Lady Zhang, and Lian Zhizhi followed behind the cart. None of them rode in the cart, out of sympathy for Little Yellow Ox, who had been overworked that afternoon.
"Mom, what are we going to eat when we get ho?" Xiao Qi asked from the front.
"Whatever you want to eat, we’ll eat," answered Lady Zhang. She was physically exhausted, but her spirits were lifted by Wu Lang and Xiao Qi’s earlier words. After enduring hardship and grievances for over ten years, life had improved since they moved out. Her children were sensible and stood up for her. She felt it was all worth it.
Yes, no matter what the children wanted to eat now, she was ready to satisfy their wishes unconditionally.
"We’ve run out of at at ho, but we still have a few eggs," Lian Manman said. "I checked the garden today; our chives can be harvested. So, how about we make pancakes with egg and chive filling? If we add so dried shrimp, it won’t be any worse than at filling."
Wu Lang and Xiao Qi both agreed.
"Alright, then let’s go back and make it," said Lady Zhang. "Tomorrow, we’ll buy another two catties of at and make a al of wheat dumplings."
"Mom, Dad already promised us a dumpling al. You can’t count this as the sa one; otherwise, we’d be at a loss," Lian Manman said with a smile.
"Sure, your dad’s al is his, and mine is mine. I don’t have to pay workers from the next batch of work; I still have money left in my account," Lady Zhang replied.
All of the children began to laugh.
...
By the ti Lian Shouxin arrived at the old house, the Upper Room already had tables set up, and the food was all ready, but no one had yet sat down to eat.
"We were waiting for you," Old Master Lian called Lian Shouxin over to sit on the kang and, not seeing Lady Zhang and Lian Manman among others, he quickly asked, "Hey, where’s your wife and the kids? Still out back?"
"Dad, well, there was sothing at the shop, so the kids’ mom took them back to the shop, but they did co here to eat," Lian Shouxin hurriedly explained.
"What could possibly be the matter at this Chinese hour?" Old Master Lian naturally did not believe it. "Before I ca, I specifically instructed them, after working all afternoon, how could they not co for the al?"
"Dad, if they don’t co, then they don’t. There’s food at the shop too. Here I am, aren’t I? I represent them all by myself," Lian Shouxin said with a forced smile. "Dad, you’ve also been tired all day; let’s just start the al."
"This won’t do," Old Master Lian said, his face darkening. "We managed to finish planting today thanks to all of you. Old Fourth’s wife and the kids have been honestly working hard. Go get Old Fourth’s wife and the kids. If they don’t co, I’ll go invite them myself."
"Dad, that’s really not necessary," Lian Shouxin insisted.
"Why are we still standing around and not eating? Just now you were all hungry enough to die; now you’re not hungry anymore?" Lady Zhou said as she brought in a basin of pancakes and slamd them onto the kang. "If they don’t co, so be it, acting as if they are so honored guests needing multiple invitations. I’ve been working hard all day, and no one is considering my feelings. She just wants to curry favor by being the first to finish, so she gets all the credit? If she doesn’t co, good riddance."
"What the hell are you talking about, woman?" Old Master Lian grew angry, scolding Lady Zhou.
Lady Zhou turned around and sat down on the edge of the kang.
"You think Old Fourth’s wife is such a good person? This is a slap to my face. Everybody sees her coming to help us farm, and they will ask why she hasn’t been offered a al after finishing the work. She’ll definitely say I’m too stingy to feed her, making herself out to be the good one and the villain. She’ll spread it around until the whole village knows. That way, whenever I, this old woman, go out, everyone will point at my back, and she’ll be pleased," Lady Zhou ranted, spit flying everywhere.
Lian Shouxin began to feel uncomfortable.
"Mom, how can you say such things? My wife has no such bad intentions; that’s not the kind of person she is. Over the years, who doesn’t know that about our family?" Lian Shouxin said, his face red.
"Listen to him, listen! My own son already takes her side, and who even needs to ask what others think? She has a an streak, she hates ! As for , half buried in the earth, I’m not afraid of anything and won’t bother you all. It’s just my Xiuxiu, my poor daughter, who suffers because of . On the surface, she plays nice, but inside she’s too malicious..."
"You’re talking nonsense, spouting all this unnecessary stuff. Aren’t you ashad for others to hear? She ca to help us, and now you make it sound like she’s done wrong. Old Three’s wife, go to the shop and get Old Fourth’s wife and the kids to co for dinner right away," Old Master Lian interrupted Lady Zhou, giving an order to Lady Zhao.
"Who to call? Let’s see who dares to go," Lady Zhou stood up and blocked the doorway. "If she wants to be stubborn, let her. Don’t call her, let’s see what she can do. I’ve got fine flour and big at here. If she cos, she won’t have the face to eat it anyway."
"Old Three’s wife, I told you to call them," Old Master Lian growing angry as well, said, "Move aside now. In front of the whole family, do you even have the dignity of being a mother?"
"How can I still have any dignity as a mother? I slaved away raising them, and now they’re married with kids and don’t need anymore, they don’t treat like a person, letting their wives and brats walk all over ..."
"You, woman, why are you so unreasonable? If they’re not coming, it’s because of you; you always have such a harsh deanor!" Hearing Lady Zhou’s increasingly offensive talk, Old Master Lian was angry, anxious, and helpless, "In this house, you’re the one in charge, who dares to cross you..."
The atmosphere beca tenser and tenser. Old Master Lian and Lady Zhou were both flushed with anger, one ready to flip the table, the other to throw the basin, with a major confrontation seemingly inevitable...
***...***
Here’s an update, looking for support and ranking. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welco to vote for it with recomndation tickets and monthly tickets on Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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