The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 122: Truly Fragrant

Chapter 122: Chapter 122: Truly Fragrant

Wang Yongan also lifted his smiling face, and within a few words, he had coaxed the Clan Leader into beaming with joy, pushing past the matter without mention. After all, it was just children’s play—who could seriously hold a grudge against a child?

However, all of this was seen by Wang Yongzhu, who couldn’t help but feel increasingly displeased with her second elder brother.

She herself had been careless and got burned, yet an adult man, and moreover a senior, actually blamed a young girl. Had he no shame?

By now, the tea had all been served. According to the customs of the countryside, when adult men discussed matters in the main hall, women were generally not allowed to listen in.

Wang Yongzhu naturally had no intention of joining in the buzz. Otherwise, if seen, people would say that the Wang Family lacked home training, especially Old Granny Zhang not being able to teach her daughters.

So, she made her exit decidedly.

Once outside the main hall, she saw three or four lads of various ages taking shade under a tree. Wang Yongping was sitting in the middle, and the fierceness in his brows had lessened a great deal.

He was well-liked among his peers in the Wang Family, known for his righteousness, generosity, and fearlessness. The straightforward countryside men liked to associate with someone like him.

In contrast, Wang Yongan, who appeared polite and well-spoken, did not attract many people to his side.

Wang Yongping, too impatient to sit with the Clan Leader and the elders listening to their prattle, had simply slipped outside to entertain his brothers.

Wang Yongzhu came out just in time to hear Wang Yongping’s voice, "Song Brothers, this time we truly owe you for the incident where my elder brother was wronged by that bastard Li Jinlong. Without you, our family would have still been in the dark! I really can’t thank you enough. I, Wang Yongping, am not good with words and can’t offer much in the way of eloquence, but I do mean this—if there’s ever anything you need from me, just say the word. If I refuse, may I be struck by lightning!"

Song Chongjin? How did he come too?

Wang Yongzhu, who had been about to enter the kitchen, paused at the sound of Wang Yongping’s voice and looked up, catching Song Chongjin’s gaze—deep and unreadable.

Her heart skipped a beat, and then she heard Song Chongjin say, "If you consider me a brother, there’s no need for such formalities anymore! Otherwise, it means you don’t sincerely see me as a brother."

Wang Yongping, of course, agreed readily.

The several Wang Family cousins nearby, upon hearing this, understood that the truth behind Wang Jiafu’s misfortune was probably thanks to Song Chongjin.

Hadn’t the two families called off an engagement before? How come, after the broken engagement, they were still addressing each other as brothers, as close as ever?

What sort of tactic was this?

But no one would lack the tact to ask outright; they all just made a few jocular remarks.

Wang Yongzhu took the opportunity to slip into the kitchen.

The kitchen was a flurry of activity. Old Granny Zhang was in charge of cooking, Lady Jiang was chopping vegetables, and Jinhua sat by the stove door adding wood to the fire, her eyes red-rimmed.

"Mother, with so many guests at noon, do we have enough food?" Wang Yongzhu knew all too well the appetites of countryside men—it wasn’t a problem for them to polish off six or seven bowls the size of a washbasin.

Old Granny Zhang gestured for Wang Yongzhu to look at a pot at the back of the stove. Steaming hot, lifting the lid revealed a full pot of sorghum rice underneath. Separated by a grate, the upper layer was full of steaming wheat flour buns, plump and filling the entire kitchen with the aroma of food.

With the pot heated, Old Granny Zhang grabbed half of the sliced fatty pork and rendered it in the pot until the oil was drawn out, leaving behind the crispy scraps.

These crispy scraps were a treasure. With oil scarce in the household year-round, to afford a treat, they would buy the fattiest pork or the inner lining of a pig’s belly, rendering it carefully to obtain white lard. A little of it used in cooking made the dish both fragrant and smooth, and even the remaining scraps were a delicacy, either mixed with sugar as a sweet treat or used to braise vegetables like cabbage and radish, adding a hint of richness in flavor.

Today, for the sake of hospitality, they could not do the same.

Old Granny Zhang put the rendered oil in a porcelain jar, planning to save some for her daughters to stew eggs in the future—adding a spoonful would make them fragrant and tender, nourishing the body. She would not let anyone suffer a shortfall, least of all her daughters.

The oil residue was also set aside, to be used later.

Pouring the remaining slices of meat into the pot, they were stir-fried into the shape of ladles, each piece becoming transparent and curling up, shining with the unique luster of fatty meat, filling the entire house with the aroma of meat.

After adding ginger and garlic to the pot and stir-frying them until aromatic, Lady Jiang had already finished chopping a large basin of pickled vegetables. She poured them all into the pot, where the scent of pork combined with that of the pickled vegetables, assaulting the senses and making one’s mouth water uncontrollably.

A few children had been lured by the smell of meat into the kitchen from the courtyard, circling around the pot and drooling.

Especially when they saw the fried crispy oil residue sitting on the stove, their eyes were practically glued to it, unable to look away.

Old Granny Zhang disliked the children being underfoot in the kitchen, waving her spatula and shooing them all out, leaving only Jinhua and her daughter.

Turning her head and seeing Wang Yongzhu still eagerly watching the pot, her heart ached—oh dear, her daughter must have suffered. She had insisted on following her to the ancestral hall that morning; she must have hardly eaten anything and was famished by now, right?

"Zhuzhu, are you hungry?"

If it were any other day, she would definitely have cooked something special for her daughter, but today, with guests at home, she needed to be more discreet and not go overboard.

Wang Yongzhu hurriedly shook her head—what a joke; she was not a three-year-old child. But the truth was, life in the countryside was so tough. She still had Old Granny Zhang’s constant extra nourishments, although most were rejected. Yet, having gone so long without meat, the fatty pieces of pork that used to make her feel nauseous now seemed irresistibly delicious, making her salivate.

Corrupted indeed!

No, she had to stay strong!

In agony, she turned her head away, deciding not to stay in the kitchen any longer to torture herself.

Old Granny Zhang rummaged on the stove for a while. The big chunks of meat in the pot were accounted for, one per person, and needed to be placed on top of the basins attractively. Missing even one piece would not do.

Later, while dishing out the servings, she could sneakily give her daughter a bowl of the sour pickled vegetables, now imbued with the meat’s flavor and delicious in their own right.

Then there was a plate of oil residue; that had no set portion. Old Granny Zhang pinched off two pieces with her hand, intending to give them to Wang Yongzhu: "Here, take this to satisfy your craving. I’ll save some vegetables and soup for you during dinner to soak your rice with!"

Wang Yongzhu’s face flushed with embarrassment—it was so shameful, as if she was some beggar asking for food.

She immediately refused: "I don’t want it, Mother, I—"

But before she could finish speaking, her mouth was stuffed with a piece of the oil residue. It was still warm with oil heat, hot and crispy, and melted immediately upon entering her mouth.

So delicious!

All she could feel was the lingering taste, was it so good that it brought tears to her eyes?

Huh? Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?

Coming back to her senses, Wang Yongzhu was filled with embarrassed indignation and cast a sheepish glance at Lady Jiang and Jinhua.

Lady Jiang, with her head lowered, pretended not to have seen anything, while Jinhua’s eyes were full of envy, making Wang Yongzhu even more self-conscious. Really now, being fed in front of a junior like Jinhua, how was she supposed to hold her head up after this?

Old Granny Zhang, seeing her daughter’s embarrassment, instantly understood.

If it had been anyone else, it might have been fine, but with Lady Jiang and maid Jinhua around, if they dared to utter a single word about this outside, she wouldn’t stand for it. Therefore, she wasn’t annoyed but simply patted her daughter’s shoulder and gave Lady Jiang and Jinhua a stern look.

Frightened, Jinhua quickly lowered her head.