The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 527 - 525 Unruly Thing

Chapter 527: Chapter 525 Unruly Thing

She didn’t even wash her hands, grabbing a bun with one hand while using chopsticks to snatch meat from the bowl with the other.

She specifically targeted the shiny, glistening fatty meat, wolfing down slice after slice until her mouth was completely full, uncaring as the juice dripped down from the corners of her mouth.

The hosts hadn’t even sat down at the table, yet a guest had already started eating, and with such horrendous manners, as if she hadn’t eaten in eight lifetimes.

When the servers saw Old Lady Sun and Shitou’s Wife gobble the food with such appalling appetite, they feared that all the dishes would be devoured before everyone else could sit down.

They quickly snatched away the remaining bowl of mixed fish and tofu stew, grateful that the voracious duo was only preoccupied with the meat and hadn’t yet turned their attention to the fish.

By the time Wang Yongzhu coaxed Old Granny Zhang out to eat, all the servers had returned, and together with the Wang family members, about a dozen people gathered around the dining table, not knowing what to ogle at.

Upon closer inspection, Wang Yongzhu was dismayed to find Old Lady Sun and her granddaughter-in-law had polished off an entire bowl of fatty pork and radishes, not only finishing the meat and radishes but even drinking all the soup.

In the end, Shitou’s Wife scraped the bowl so clean with the buns that it looked like it didn’t need washing.

The bowl was so clean that there was no need to wash it.

After eating, Shitou’s Wife licked the corners of her mouth, "Isn’t there still fish soup? Granny, let’s have two bowls to warm ourselves up."

Old Lady Sun smacked her lips in satisfaction, having truly enjoyed the meal!

The helping servers were annoyed, too. The two remaining dishes were meant to be shared among over ten people, but the Sun family matriarch and granddaughter-in-law had devoured half of them.

And they still wanted fish soup? Might as well drink the wind!

The server immediately grabbed the basket of buns on the table and turned to head back into the kitchen.

"What’s the meaning of this? We are relatives, and you won’t even offer us fish soup? Isn’t that a bit stingy?" Shitou’s Wife muttered.

The bitterness was shared among the other servers; it’s not like they ate lavish meals every day themselves. When they did have a bit of meat or fish, it usually went to the elders, men, or children. As for the women, they were lucky to even get some soup.

This visit to the Wang family, without mentioning anything else, meant they could each get two or three pieces of meat, almost a whole fish, and there were tofu and fish soup—better than what they had for the New Year. No wonder everyone was delighted.

But suddenly, as the meat vanished before their eyes, only fish remained, which had already caught their attention.

An outspoken server then said, "I say, Old Lady Sun and Shitou’s Wife, when you are guests in someone else’s home, you should at least be a bit considerate, right? This meal is for more than ten people, and you two have eaten half of it already. Be content. Are you starving ghosts reincarnated? At least leave some for the rest of us! We haven’t had a bite yet and all of it has been sabotaged by you; are we supposed to drink the northwest wind?"

"How is it, the Wang family invites us over but won’t even provide enough food to fill our bellies? Isn’t it said that you’ll provide three meals a day and ensure we’re well-fed?" Old Lady Sun retorted, rolling her eyes.

"I say, Old Lady Sun, with the way you’re eating, not even the Emperor himself could afford to host you!" one of the quicker-tongued servers snapped.

Someone else spoke to their neighbor, "I’ve heard that in this world, there’s a kind of person who, upon hearing they’ll be dining at someone else’s house, will deliberately starve themselves for a few days to empty their stomach, and then, when they arrive, they eat like they’ve been starving to death. Those people have the thickest skin and cannot be chased away!"

These words were clearly meant for Old Lady Sun and Shitou’s Wife to hear.

But the two of them heard it without a blush or gasp, as if they hadn’t heard a thing.

Yet Wang Yongzhen stood by, her face flushing with embarrassment.

However, it was clear that the wives had no intention of serving the fish soup; Old Lady Sun and Sun Shitou’s Wife, having had their fill, patted their rounded bellies and left the table.

One of the women spat and went to clear the table before finally bringing out the fish soup and steamed buns, although a single pot of this dish was not nearly enough for over ten people.

The faces of all present turned somewhat unsightly.

Wang Yongzhu hurriedly said, "Sister-in-law, everyone has worked hard today, there’s too little food here, isn’t there? Quickly go and fry up a big plate of garlic sprouts with eggs; it’ll be hot and the perfect accompaniment to the buns."

As soon as Lady Jiang, who was in charge of cooking, heard this, she briskly got to her feet, with Lady Lin and several other wives following to help pick and wash the vegetables, chopping them finely.

Meanwhile, Old Granny Zhang had taken a small basket from inside the house, in which rested the eggs they had saved.

For peasant families, eggs were considered nourishing treasures; when the elderly felt unwell or children fell sick, they would be given an egg to eat.

Ever since the Wang Family’s circumstances had improved, the children and adults preferred eating meat, and aside from Wang Yongzhu, not many eggs were consumed, resulting in quite a stash being saved up.

Old Granny Zhang glared at Old Lady Sun and Sun Shitou’s Wife, blaming them for the trouble; otherwise, the eggs could have all been reserved for her daughters.

But now that they were to be used, Old Granny Zhang would not be stingy, directly picking out twenty eggs to hand over to Lady Jiang, "Fry them all."

Lady Jiang was also stunned by her mother-in-law’s rare generosity, pausing for a moment before she busily took them.

In no time, the fragrant garlic sprouts with eggs were served on the table, and everyone gathered around to eat.

Even with her stomach fully round, Sun Shitou’s Wife, lured by the aroma of the eggs, couldn’t help but move closer to the table. Without chopsticks, she was just about to reach with her hand.

Old Granny Zhang slapped her hand with a pair of chopsticks, "You have no manners!" She admonished, then glanced at Wang Yongzhen.

Wang Yongzhen’s face turned a beet red, her hands trembling so much she could barely hold her chopsticks.

She knew Eldest Brother’s Wife had a voracious appetite; back in the Sun Family, any hint of something tasty couldn’t escape her nose, she always found a way to get a taste for herself.

Wang Yongzhen was also aware of this flaw in Eldest Brother’s Wife; it really wasn’t something presentable, and while at home it was one thing, outside it invited ridicule.

She had thought to correct her, but as soon as she opened her mouth, Eldest Brother’s Wife would start crying, claiming Wang Yongzhen was harsh on her, taking advantage of the favoritism she enjoyed from her mother-in-law and the affection from Shitou, which only left Wang Yongzhen looking bad.

Especially now that she was pregnant, Eldest Brother’s Wife had become even more arrogant, always wanting to get ahead.

Wang Yongzhen felt embarrassed by her earlier greed; and now, like at home, despite being full, she was still coveting the food, reaching out with her bare hands – something not even well-mannered children aged three or four would do.

But what could she do? She had no status in her in-law’s home, less than a daughter-in-law even; no one would listen even if she spoke up.

Now with Old Granny Zhang reprimanding her almost directly to her face for lacking upbringing and manners, all she could do was grind her teeth and bear it.

Sun Shitou’s Wife muttered to herself and, catching Wang Yongzhu’s cold gaze and recollecting the image of Wang Yongzhu wielding a knife earlier, shuddered and scurried away.

But soon enough, she couldn’t stand still again, looking around and touching this and that, her eyes repeatedly drifting toward the main room.

Seeing that everyone was busy eating and seemingly paying no attention, she slowly sneaked up to Wang Yongzhu’s room door, just about to push it open when a cold voice halted her, "What do you think you’re doing?"