The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 907 - 906: Silent until It Shocks

Chapter 907: Chapter 906: Silent until It Shocks

Wang Yongzhu was almost driven to laughter by her anger. She had seen shameless people before, but never anyone this shameless.

Were they trying to sponge off the rich?

Old Granny Zhang had a fiery temper by nature. She was willing to give if she wanted to, but these women who crowded into her yard, whom she had never even met, came swaggering in and demanded sauces as if it were their right?

She put her hands on her hips immediately and said, "Pah! Who do you think you are? What are you doing at my place? What’s the rush? To reincarnate? Your child is crying at home, what does that have to do with me? It’s not my kid! Am I your dad, or your mom? Do I have to care if your kid cries?"

"I make my sauce myself, I’ve never heard of people as shameless as you in this world, trying to strong-arm things because you like the smell! Even beggars aren’t as shameless as you! If you want some that much, go make it yourself!"

"I bought my sauce with real silver and made it myself, why should you have it for nothing? Are you as parents without hands and feet to make some for your kids yourselves? You just know how to beg?"

...

The women didn’t expect Old Granny Zhang to be so tough, not only refusing to give but also scolding them.

They looked at each other in dismay, and one of them jumped in, "Auntie, your words are so harsh. It’s just a bowl of sauce, isn’t it? If it weren’t for our kids catching a whiff and wanting it, who would bother coming here? Isn’t it typical of country people, not knowing basic manners!"

"Pah! That’s rubbish! Even in the countryside, people aren’t this shameless! If your kids smell my sauce and want some, just like if they see a dog eating shit and think it smells good, why not have them get some shit from the dogs too? And you say you didn’t want to come—did I invite you? Did I beg you all to come? You all rushed here, smelled the good food from my house, threw away your manners, and ran over, and now you’re talking to me about manners? Pah!"

Who is Old Granny Zhang? She’s known for her tongue that has no match across ten miles around.

After moving to the city, she held back her temper because her son-in-law is a scholar and tried to act like a genteel city old lady.

Plus, her regular interactions with Madam Gu’s family and those other seemingly respectable old ladies had been decent. If nothing else, they knew basic manners.

Like Madam Gu, even if she came to ask for sauce, she brought eggs—not empty-handed, at least.

Isn’t maintaining relationships all about reciprocal gestures?

Never had she seen such a group bring bowls as big as the mouth of a jar to demand something.

If she gave a bowl to every family, her entire day’s work of making sauce would be for naught.

Not to mention, if she started giving, her neighbors up and down the street—would she give to one and not another?

If she had to give to everyone, it’s not like her silver grows on trees to waste on this bunch.

When there wasn’t anything to be gained, Old Granny Zhang was happy to play the part of a generous old lady.

But when it came to her interests, Old Granny Zhang showed her real side.

Those women who wanted to take advantage had never heard such vulgar insults before, and they stood there, embarrassed and furious, their faces flushed purple with shame.

"You wretched old hag! Truly from the countryside, with no manners at all! Ask anyone about this alley, we’ve all been neighbors for years, if anyone had anything nice to eat, they wouldn’t wait for us to come knocking—they’d bring it over for everyone to taste! That’s how neighbors interact!"

"It’s only you country folks who think sauce is some treasure. If the kids didn’t want it, who would bother?"

...

Old Granny Wu couldn’t help but laugh at these words, "Do you even feel embarrassment saying such things? Do you think everyone else is stupid? My family has been in Jing County for generations, and I’ve never heard of such rules! What kind of dimwit would ignore their elders or children for the sake of outsiders? Tomorrow, I’ll be sure to ask around the entire town if Swallow Alley actually has such a rule! Let’s see who’ll be the laughingstock!"

As soon as Old Granny Wu spoke, several women with thinner skin started to look uncomfortable.

Only those with thicker skin turned their attention to Old Granny Wu, "You claim to be one of us city folks, yet for a few coins, you’re willing to bootlick these country bumpkins—"

Old Granny Wu’s face turned grim, "At least I rely on my own abilities to earn my keep, which is better than you lot, sitting at home doing nothing but gossiping about others, always trying to profit at others’ expense! You call yourselves city folk, but who doesn’t know who among you?"

"And you! The dirt under your fingernails isn’t even clean, just a cheap country wife bought by the Sun Family for a few ounces of silver; and you, everyone in Swallow Alley knows about you, don’t they? No takers when you tried to elope, and if not for your parents’ thick skin finding you a clueless country husband, you would’ve been drowned in a pig cage, isn’t that right? And you—"

Old Granny Wu had been listening to these things over the past few days. After just a month, no secret of these families in the alley had escaped her.

On a regular day, she might have kept quiet; she wasn’t one to openly shame people. But today, these women—most known for taking advantage and starting trouble—teamed up to demand things from her master’s house and insulted her lady by calling her a country bumpkin.

Well, that crossed the line!

She picked out the two who were causing the most trouble and whose words were the harshest. Her remarks quieted them instantly.

Whoever Old Granny Wu glanced at took two steps back.

Everyone has something they’re ashamed of; to have it revealed in public—could they face anyone afterwards?

Wang Yongzhu and Old Granny Zhang were also stunned, they didn’t expect Old Granny Wu, silent till then, to be so remarkably fierce!

Right off the bat, she hit their weak spots! Judging by her manner, it seemed like she knew every little secret in Swallow Alley.

The atmosphere in the yard turned tense.

Just then, Madam Gu’s voice came from outside the door, "Lady of the Wang Family, open the door—"

Gu Yu quickly and quietly pulled the door open, and Madam Gu swept in like the wind. Seeing a yard full of women, she didn’t skip a beat and started scolding right away, "You bunch of black-hearted, shameless wenches, isn’t it because you saw me take a bowl of sauce from the Song Family back home? Now, here you are with your big bowls, demanding it? Are you bullying the Scholar’s Lady for her young age, and Old Granny Zhang for her bad health?"

"Let me tell you something! You’ve made the wrong assumption! You think the Scholar’s Lady is new here and doesn’t know what kind of people you are? How is it that you all spend your days with such shallow eyes? Whenever you see someone else have something good, you try to snatch it for yourself, without considering whether you deserve it!"