The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 125: A Lesson

Chapter 125: Chapter 125: A Lesson

Jinguan stuck out his tongue, if the meat was said to be for someone else, he was sure he could grind it into his own mouth.

But since the meat was said to be for an old aunt, he weighed his small body and then thought about his mother’s combat strength and decided to give up!

He looked at the piece of meat with pity, feeling it was even fatter than the one his second uncle got! Grudgingly, he picked up his bowl to leave.

Wang Yongping called out to him, "Take this to your aunt!" Then he scooped up two pieces of egg with his chopsticks, combined them with the fatty meat in Jinguan’s bowl, and told him to take it to Wang Yongzhu.

Jinguan slurped his saliva and ran towards the kitchen with the bowl in his hand.

Song Chongjin saw everything and involuntarily followed Jinguan’s movement toward the kitchen with his gaze.

He was sitting close to the kitchen and pricked up his ears, able to hear the activity inside.

"Aunt, this is from Uncle Si, he asked me to bring it to you!" Jinguan said as he placed the bowl in front of Wang Yongzhu.

Wang Yongzhu looked up and saw a piece of fatty meat with two pieces of egg, clearly something Wang Yongping had saved from his own mouth to give to her.

She couldn’t quite describe the feeling in her heart at that moment.

Old Granny Zhang snorted, at least Laosi had a conscience, remembering to share the good food with his sister! Thinking of Eldest Brother’s household, they claimed they would treat their daughters with filial piety like their own parents, but when it came to eating meat, that was completely forgotten.

She took the bowl from Jinguan and was about to pour it into Wang Yongzhu’s bowl.

Wang Yongzhu, seeing the meat and egg that had been touched by who knows how many chopsticks and still wet with alcohol, shivered with goosebumps. Being slightly obsessively clean, there was no way she could eat it.

She quickly blocked it with her chopsticks, "I don’t want that, the vegetables Mom left for me are enough!"

Upon hearing this, Jinguan’s eyes lit up. If Auntie didn’t want it, that was great—he could eat it himself!

He reached out to grab it but was smacked on the hand with a chopstick by Wang Yongzhu, which made him instantly draw back in pain.

"Auntie, didn’t you say you don’t want it?"

"I don’t want it! But that doesn’t mean it’s for you! You’ve already had meat outside, this piece is for Jinpan and the others!" With that, Wang Yongzhu didn’t wait for a reply and pushed the meat and eggs into Jinpan’s bowl.

"Auntie, I don’t eat meat, but what about the egg, why don’t I even get a share of the egg?" Jinguan was close to crying.

Wang Yongzhu motioned for Jinpan and the others to divide the meat and eat it, then she handed the bowl back to Jinguan, "You alone eat one piece of meat, while the three of them share another, what’s wrong with supplementing them with some egg? You’re supposed to be an older brother, you eat meat without even thinking of your younger siblings, and you still want to compete with them? Does it seem right? Besides, this meat was given to me by your Uncle Si, I can share it with whoever I want!"

Jinguan was a clever child, with a quick mind and a slick tongue, but he had one flaw—he was greedy! And selfish! Relying on the power of the principal room, he’d not infrequently taken advantage of the children from the third room by snatching some food from their mouths.

Lady Lin, in any case, only cared that her own children didn’t suffer and never bothered about the rest. Wang Yongfu was busy in the fields every day; being a man, he was careless and didn’t notice anything.

The third branch had always been like invisible people, too timid to speak up even when wronged, and constantly mindful of the favor from Wang Yongfu. Thus, the younger ones tended to defer to Jinguan. With the two older brothers not holding grudges against him, it only made the child more self-centered.

Jinguan felt indignant and mumbled a few words under his breath, not daring to talk back for fear of Old Granny Zhang slapping him across the face. His expression carried displeasure, and he sat down with a huff, about to grab a bun to eat.

Old Granny Zhang slapped the bun back with a forceful smack, "You little rabbit scoundrel, you’ve grown insolent, haven’t you? Daring to pull a face at your old aunt? What’s the matter? Can’t take a few scolds from her? A rascal with no upbringing, daring to demand from your aunt? Following your shameless mother, learning those indecent tricks unfit for public view! All you know is to eat all day long! Is the old lady short of food or clothes for you? How can you be so insatiable? Were you a starving ghost in your past life? Taking advantage of your little cleverness to get food, and for the sake of your father, the old lady can’t be bothered with you! But can’t you see what the occasion is today? Your aunt scolds you, and you dare to mumble? You little wilted runt, pah!"

Old Granny Zhang’s movements were quick and her scolding fierce; for a moment, everyone was caught off guard.

Jinguan was so stunned by the slap that tears welled up in his eyes, and his first reflex was to look for his mother. Turning his head, he didn’t see Lady Lin’s figure.

Only then did he remember that his mother was still in town, keeping vigil by his father’s side.

Jinpan and the others were so frightened that the meat fell into their bowls; they dared not move or eat, only shrinking into themselves.

It was Wang Yongzhu who stepped forward to mediate, "Enough, mother, there are guests outside. Don’t let the guests hear you!"

Only then did Old Granny Zhang sit down and whispered, "Go stand aside! Thinking of eating meat, do you think you have the destiny for it? Every day it’s buns and pancakes - you’ve been spoiled like ancestors! Eat if you want to, don’t eat anymore if you don’t want to!"

Jinguan quietly went to stand aside.

Jinpan and the others clutched the meat and eggs in their bowls, gripping them as if they held hot sweet potatoes, too scared to eat or make a move.

"If I tell you to eat, you eat! What’s the matter? You want to rebel, too? Not listening to your old aunt anymore?" Old Granny Zhang glared at them.

Frightened, Jinpan and her siblings nodded their heads like chickens pecking at rice, each nibbling a bite. The three children managed to share a piece of fat among them.

Because of the need for dignity, Old Granny Zhang didn’t raise her voice too loud. With the men outside drinking loudly, aside from Song Chongjin, really no one heard the commotion in the kitchen.

The two catties of liquor were quickly finished, and they served sorghum rice and buns next, accompanied by pickled cabbage soup and tofu soup. About a dozen men cleaned up the feast like a whirlwind, even scouring the bowls clean.

After having their fill of food and drink, the guests felt it would be impolite to stay longer and took their leave.

Wang Yongan also felt that staying any longer in this household would be an ordeal. After seeing the Clan Leader out, he suggested returning to the county town.

A trace of reluctance and gloom crossed Old Wang Laozhu’s face. This second son was the pride of his life, but unfortunately, having grown up, the son said that living in the county town he could earn money to support himself and continue studying, resulting in seeing him only once a year during the new year. He had just arrived and now was about to leave; couldn’t this home keep him for a while longer?

Old Granny Zhang came out of the kitchen and snorted coldly, "Fine, go if you want to! But with this visit, your Eldest Brother has become a cripple, and harder times are ahead. As his brother, you enjoy the life of a lord in the county town, feasting on plump chickens and ducks, your wife and girls dressed in gold and silver, living a life even better than that of immortals. With such a big incident at home, looking at the faces of these nephews of yours, you shouldn’t leave empty-handed, should you?"

Embarrassment and shame flashed across Wang Yongan’s face, turning him crimson. After a long while, he said, "Mother, don’t you know, I teach at a school in the county town, and my monthly salary is just that little, barely enough for my own expenses. All our household expenditures at home are covered by Jinchai’s dowry. Moreover, I came back in such a rush this time I didn’t bring much silver with me. Otherwise, when I return to the county town, I could advance my salary for next month and have someone bring it back?"