The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 529 - 527: Wrath

Chapter 529: Chapter 527: Wrath

But she also knew that her girl was telling the truth; Shitou’s wife was pregnant, and if anything happened, the Wang Family wouldn’t be able to clear their name even if they jumped into the Yellow River.

Especially now, with outsiders present in the yard, Old Granny Zhang had to suppress her anger, maintaining an unaffected demeanor on her face, and instructed everyone before returning to her room to get the money and buy more meat.

Wang Yongzhu also calmed everyone down and accompanied Old Granny Zhang to buy the meat.

※※※

Meanwhile, Old Lady Sun shuffled awkwardly out of the courtyard gate, no longer concerned with Shitou’s wife or Wang Yongzhen, her hands clasped in front of her as she broke into a run, despite her advanced age. Although her running form was far from graceful, her speed was not slow.

Shitou’s wife wanted to follow but, fearing abdominal pain, could only walk slowly, calling as she went, "Granny, slow down, wait for me—"

Wang Yongzhen was worried about her eldest daughter-in-law and her mother-in-law and was at a loss as to whom she should follow.

Fortunately, Old Lady Sun didn’t get far before she turned a corner and stopped. She maintained the same posture, with her hands in front, and commanded, "Eldest Brother’s family, go quickly and bring back your man, your young uncle, and Shitou. We’re all going home together."

Wang Yongzhen hesitated slightly.

Shitou’s wife caught up, clutching her belly, and upon seeing Old Lady Sun, her first question was, "Granny, where’s the meat?"

What meat?

Then Wang Yongzhen saw Old Lady Sun open her jacket, revealing a chunk of greasy pork.

"Mother, this meat—" Wang Yongzhen’s voice trembled. Where did this meat come from?

"Granny, this piece is so fatty! It’s enough for our family for several meals!" Shitou’s wife’s eyes lit up.

"Isn’t it? We didn’t come for nothing today!" Old Lady Sun weighed the pork in her hands and was also very satisfied.

Even the naive Wang Yongzhen could tell the meat was taken from the Wang Family.

"Mother, did this meat come from my maternal family? Why didn’t I know?" Wang Yongzhen said, struggling to speak.

"Me, your mother-in-law, taking a piece of meat from your maternal home—why should I inform you? What’s this? Are you, as a daughter-in-law, starting to dictate your mother-in-law now?" Old Lady Sun snorted coldly.

"I say, Mother, you’re really something. Is a piece of meat worth all this fuss? The Sun Wang clans are relatives—does it matter who eats it? It’s not like we gave it to strangers." Shitou’s wife spoke impatiently.

She then turned and sweet-talked Old Lady Sun, "Granny, when did you pocket the meat? I didn’t see at all! I bet the Wang Family still doesn’t know it’s gone!"

Old Lady Sun boasted proudly, "Hmph, I took advantage of them eating and only watching you. I slipped the meat into my bosom! That maid scared me nearly out of my wits today, and I even got slapped by that little brute from the Wang Family’s Third Child. Taking some of their meat is compensation!"

"The old lady is right, it’s just too bad that their family watches too closely. Otherwise, I could have swiped something too. I even got to the door, what a pity!" Shitou’s Wife said, feeling not shame but pride, and regretted not having pilfered anything today.

Wang Yongzhen, listening on the side, suddenly burst into tears and, covering her face, fled in a disheveled state...

※※※

Old Granny Zhang and Wang Yongzhu went out again but failed to buy meat. With no other choice, they rummaged at home and dug out those long strips of dried fish from the South that Boss Zhang had given, along with a salted duck.

Once the dried fish was cleaned and briefly soaked in warm water, it lost that strange smell after steaming. A fresh taste with a hint of the sea emanated, a rather unique flavor.

The salted duck was chopped into pieces and stir-fried with chilies until fragrant. Then water was added to boil, and astonishingly, the soup turned milky-white. Later, radish chunks were added. The duck was salty and savory, and the radish was refreshingly sweet.

It actually became everyone’s favorite, and even the broth was consumed until the pot was clean.

Dinner was somehow managed, and after eating and tidying up, the courtyard door was shut.

Master Chiang and his crew were no fools. Today’s drama at the master’s house had spread far and wide. As soon as dinner was over, they holed up in their own rooms and didn’t come out.

People from the Wang Family all gathered in the main house.

Old Granny Zhang had suppressed her anger for half a day, and finally it burst forth, "Old man, say something! What are we going to do about the Sun Family? All these are your beloved daughter’s doings. We don’t expect her to look after the Wang Family, but she can’t just grip her natal family and fleece us, right? Look at what happened today, see the Sun Family’s face, their behavior! An entire family came to our place to waste time and even demanded a full day’s wages. And when they left, they took with them the meat for our evening meal! Is that what in-laws do?"

Wang Laozhu’s face was a picture of misery, "Yongzhen told me, the Sun Family had a poor harvest this year and life has been hard. Every day it’s just two meals of watery rice. Earlier in the year, while trying to find a wife for Mutou, the family he courted demanded a high bride price; they had no money and Mutou’s marriage prospect fell through. Mutou can’t afford to wait any longer, they plan to look for another match once they have the money, but the Suns don’t have any, so she’s at her wit’s end, isn’t she? And with Shitou’s Wife being pregnant after so many years, the eldest girl is just worried about the baby in her womb, which is why they brought her over too..."

"Spare me your mother’s drivel! Our village had good harvests this year. Are their fields separated by mountains and seas? How much worse off could they be? They’re just lazy! If the Sun Family comes again tomorrow, do we still have to pay them? We’ll be building this house for a month. Not only will we be throwing several taels of silver to the Sun Family for nothing, but we’ll also have to keep an eye out every day for Old Lady Sun filching things. Why should we?"

Wang Laozhu wiped his face, revealing an exhausted look, "Pay them for now. Once the house is up, they’ll have no more excuses to come over. Then, I’ll talk to Yongzhen about coming back less often! After today’s drama, I reckon the whole village knows about it. Tomorrow, everyone will probably be watching us, waiting to see the Wang Family make fools of ourselves. It’ll be a huge shame if the Sun Family causes another scene!"

Seeing Wang Laozhu in such a state, and being his own father after all, Wang Yongfu felt a pang of compassion. After some thought, he spoke, "Dad has a point. For now, we have no choice but to do this. If we don’t pay, and the Sun Family makes another fuss, it’ll delay things. The weather’s getting colder by the day, and if it freezes, we’ll have to halt construction. What then, if we stop halfway through?"

It was the plain truth. If the large house wasn’t up by the end of the year, the Wang Family would indeed be a laughingstock.

Jindou also cautiously observed the adults’ expressions before saying, "And Fourth Uncle’s marriage is set for a specific date. It was also agreed that he’d get married after moving into the new house. If the house isn’t built in time, what about the wedding date?"

When the matter of Wang Yongping’s wedding was brought up, even Old Granny Zhang hesitated.

Only Wang Yonggui was defiant. It had always been him swindling others; how could he have been swindled today?

"Why should we? I’ve seen plenty of people like the Suns, give them an inch today, they’ll take a mile tomorrow. Unless we scare such good-for-nothing bastards, they’ll cling to our family, treating us like a cash cow. I’ll go to the Sun household tonight, break their legs first, and see how they can come after that—" He said, his tone seething with venom.