The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 516 - 514: Disfavored

Chapter 516: Chapter 514: Disfavored

Wang Yongzhen and Sun Daming, after all, cared about their faces. Hearing Old Granny Zhang’s words, their faces flushed red with embarrassment, wishing they could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

From the moment Sun Laoer entered the yard, his eyes darted around restlessly, touching this and peering at that, not staying still for a moment. Upon hearing those words, he acted as if he hadn’t heard a thing.

Sun Shitou and his wife, still young with thin skins, instantly felt their faces burn like fire, especially Sun Shitou, full of youthful vigor, was about to turn around and leave right then and there.

But it was his wife who, although her face felt on fire, stood her ground firmly and even held Sun Shitou back.

Old Lady Sun was someone with exceptionally thick skin. Old Granny Zhang had made her point quite clear, anyone who cared about their reputation would have stormed off by now.

Yet Old Lady Sun stood unflinchingly, not even letting the smile on her face falter slightly, "In-laws, look at us, coming over first thing in the morning without even having a bite to eat, does the family have anything we could snack on to fill our stomachs? Surely we can’t have our grandson and granddaughter-in-law visit for the first time and not only have no welcoming gift but also not offer them food, right?" She bluntly ignored Old Granny Zhang’s insinuation.

A welcoming gift? Upon hearing this, Old Granny Zhang started grinding her teeth. Wasn’t her point clear when she didn’t attend Sun Shitou’s wedding? They didn’t bring the new bride to the Wang Family in the first month after the marriage; now that they saw the Wang Family’s fortunes improving, they were eager to cozy up.

So she thought, why did they all come so prepared? It turns out it was for the welcoming gift.

She wasn’t going to give them a penny, as for food, let them go drink the northwest wind!

Seeing Old Granny Zhang’s expression, Wang Laozhu knew trouble was brewing.

He, too, had no fondness for the Sun Family, but this great-grandson was, after all, his daughter’s bloodline. It wouldn’t be proper for an elder to turn them away on their first visit.

He could only sigh, "Wife, they’ve come all this way, we really can’t just not feed them. Besides, Shitou is leading his bride over for the first time; just prepare something for them to eat."

Old Granny Zhang almost flung the rag in her hand in Wang Laozhu’s face, but it was Wang Yongzhu who sensed the mood was off, as people from the yard were watching eagerly.

Today, if not handled properly, it would become the Wang Family’s joke.

Without hesitation, she pulled Old Granny Zhang aside and stood in front to take a good look at the Sun family members, then said, "Mother, let it be. No matter what, since Shitou and his wife are here, can we truly stoop to driving them away? What’s more, it’s rare for Shitou and his wife to have been married for three or four years and only now make their first visit to the Wang Family. Can we, as elders, really hold this against our younger relatives?"

"Shitou, Shitou’s Wife, don’t worry, our Wang Family might not be able to offer much else, but we can certainly manage a meal," she said, directly addressing the young couple.

At first listen, her words didn’t seem remarkable, but upon closer thought, the helping old women understood.

Clearly, it was the Sun Family who had acted improperly, with the great-grandson being married for three or four years before bringing his wife for the first time to visit his maternal grandfather’s house. Anywhere this was discussed, it would be the Sun Family who seemed unreasonable first.

Old Granny Zhang, usually shrewd, had just overreacted in her anger. Now regaining her senses, she followed Wang Yongzhu’s lead, "Isn’t that the truth? If the younger generation doesn’t know manners, it’s the fault of the adults at home for not reminding them from behind. Where can we place the blame on the children? Enough said, the Eldest Brother’s house, Laosan’s House, aren’t you going to bring some food quickly? Your eldest sister has brought your eldest nephew and eldest nephew’s wife for their first visit, and you, as their aunt, aren’t hurrying out to entertain them?"

Lady Lin and Lady Jiang in the kitchen heard everything that was happening outside.

If there was anyone Lady Lin found most annoying, it was indeed this eldest sister-in-law.

She was married off, yet depending on the favor of her father-in-law, she expected supplements on every festive occasion, which might have been fine if it was a two-way exchange.

But with this eldest sister-in-law, there was only ever taking from the Wang Family and never giving back.

Over time, whose heart would be content?

Moreover, they were not even born of the same mother as their own men. Wang Yongzhu used to wish she could drive them away, let alone Wang Yongzhen.

Especially when Wang Laozhu hinted at the idea that on the first visit, was there supposed to be a gift for the meeting?

Pah! Dream on! With that money, wouldn’t it be better to buy something for their own child to eat than to feed the ingrates of the Sun Family?

So they hid in the kitchen and kept silent.

Lady Jiang, although she didn’t speak up, also had a bad impression of the Sun Family.

The sisters-in-law, rarely united, feigned ignorance and hid in the kitchen, but it didn’t keep them out of trouble.

Upon hearing their mother-in-law’s summons, they emerged, reluctant and displeased.

Lady Lin’s tone was far from pleasant, "This isn’t any special time of year, and without early or late notice, they come dragging their whole family. How could anyone be prepared? We’re still busy preparing lunch, we truly can’t spare the time. Now, all we have left is the leftover thin porridge and pickles from this morning, so shall we fill up on that first?"

Old Granny Zhang typically found Lady Lin’s thick-skinned manner infuriating enough to curse at her.

But today, because of the Sun Family’s presence, even Lady Lin’s attitude seemed somewhat pleasing to the eye;

Lady Jiang also gently chimed in from the side, "We truly have no other choice, Father and Mother, as you can see, everyone is busy. The bread has just been put in the steamer, the meat hasn’t been cut, and the vegetables are still raw..."

Wang Laozhu was aware that his daughters-in-law were playing dumb, simply showing their disdain for the Sun Family.

He had no choice but to reluctantly look towards Wang Yongzhen, "My dear girl, why don’t you all fill up on that for now, and later we’ll have lunch properly, and then have a good meal?"

What could Wang Yongzhen say? She just looked uneasily at Granny Sun and her own husband.

Old Lady Sun initially showed displeasure at the mention of only having thin porridge, but somehow, she restrained herself, "These words shouldn’t be said; we are all family after all, no need for formality. This old body of mine can endure, but it’s my eldest daughter-in-law here who’s with child and can’t go hungry. We’ll have to trouble our aunts to make do with porridge and pickles for now, just so we do not harm the child in the belly."

Upon hearing this, the eyes of the Wang Family members couldn’t help but drift towards Shitou’s Wife’s belly, which indeed, although not obviously, seemed a bit bulging.

As Wang Laozhu grew older, he became even fonder of the idea that more children brought more blessings. Learning that he already had a great-grandchild on the way, he was delighted, "This is certainly a happy occasion, but to only eat thin porridge—"

Old Granny Zhang knew the old man’s habitual issues were surfacing again, and she quickly coughed to interrupt, "A happy occasion it may be, but it is the Sun Family’s joy. If you are looking forward to a great-grandchild, better to pin your hopes on Jindou and the others, for they carry the Wang surname!"

Interrupted like this, Wang Laozhu found it inappropriate to continue his earlier line of thought.

Lady Jiang and Lady Lin brought out two bowls, one containing the remnants of the morning’s thin porridge and the other with a base layer of pickles.

Logically, there shouldn’t have been any leftovers, only shortages, because yesterday Master Chiang, along with Wang Yongping and Wang Yongfu, came back and said that the men who came to help were generous with their strength. With this pace, the construction of the house could potentially finish a few days earlier.