The Eldest Daughter of a Rural Family
Chapter 961 - 216: Offending Two at Once_3

Chapter 961: Chapter 216: Offending Two at Once_3

"Oh. I was just curious and wanted to ask," Xie Ze nodded in agreement, then asked, "Now that Brother Wendong’s eldest sister is ill, they definitely won’t be able to help us recover our family property, right?"

"They definitely have to wait until Madam Yuanyang recovers from her injuries," Xie Yi advised him not to ask or rush it, "You just focus on your studies."

"Mm!" Xie Ze replied.

After Zhao Xiaochen settled his accommodations, he and Madam Zhao came to pick up Pei Yuan and Happy, "We’ve already lit the fire at home, just in time to go back and have a meal, and maybe even scrape the bottom of the pot!"

Happy had already eaten his fill with Jiujiu and Xixi, and the three of them were playing together; he didn’t want to leave.

Pei Yuan had to carry him out forcefully, and he even wailed twice with his little mouth. It wasn’t until Jiujiu gave him a piece of candy that he followed along.

After a day of commotion, there were only four left in the family after dinner.

Fortunately, Mo Heng did not bring Xixi with him at night, and after telling her a story, he let the nanny take her to sleep.

Jiujiu took off her clothes and crawled right into Sister Qin’s bed, pulling Xixi in with her, "Listen to Mommy’s story like a good girl!"

Xixi, a bit curious, sat in the bed, "Daddy won’t tell it?"

"We’ll listen to Mommy tell it!" Jiujiu touched her head.

The two sat together, listening to Pei Qin tell them a story.

Mo Heng sat on the side, watching mother and daughters.

Outside, the snow began to fall again. Both Pei Wendong and Xiao Yong had trained in martial arts, and since there wasn’t much coal in the house, they made sure to save it for Pei Qin’s use. Xie Ze, sharing a room with the two, couldn’t bear the cold, "It’s really too cold; I can’t sleep! Let’s burn some coal."

Pei Wendong felt his hand, which was indeed ice-cold, and got up to have someone fetch some coal to heat the kang.

Hearing his orders, Xiao Yong couldn’t help but frown, "You can’t just put on an extra blanket!" Sister Qin used Seven-pulse Lotus to detoxify, and now with the cold invading her body, even the palace had to ensure she had enough coal.

"It’s snowing outside! I’m too cold to sleep." Xie Ze felt somewhat displeased inside. His sister was going to marry Brother Wendong in the future, and this Zhao Yong, who wasn’t even a servant, was staying and eating here every day, acting even more entitled than Brother Wendong.

Xiao Yong, thinking of Pei Qin’s bright smile when she tapped them, saying they were ’just over ten, still little radishes,’ turned over and didn’t bother with him anymore.

Xie Ze was only twelve.

Pei Wendong considered him just another little radish too.

The next day, Pei Qin felt much more spirited having had a night of snow. She invited everyone over for a mutton hot pot.

Zhang Gengshan slaughtered three sheep early in the morning and had the kitchen prepare them. He took the servants and invited Pei Yuan’s family, Fang’s family, including Fang Fang and Yan Kangyuan.

While setting up the stoves on one side and starting the mandarin duck hot pots on the other, everyone settled inside and outside and had a boisterous meal.

"This feels like a proper welcome and a cleansing of the dust! We didn’t even have a proper meal yesterday! I barely ate any meat on the way here!" Fang Fang handed her son over to her mother-in-law to feed, and she started to eat freely and heartily.

Hearing her words, Lady Yu immediately kicked her, "Look at all that flesh on you, if you eat any more, you’ll lose your shape!"

Despite the six months of turmoil, Fang Fang was not affected in the slightest. The hasty journey south had caused her some hardship, but once she arrived in Jiangnan, she swiftly compensated for herself. Everyone was eating together, and since Mo Heng was always generous, there was plenty of rich food available. Not only did Fang Fang not lose weight, she actually gained more and became rounder.

"I still need to feed Xiaolang, I didn’t eat that much!" Fang Fang complained.

Yan Xiaolang was still being breastfed.

"You just use Xiaolang as an excuse to eat to your heart’s content! Look at Yuanyuan, look at Ms. Xie, and then look at yourself!" Even though her daughter was married and not her responsibility anymore, Lady Yu couldn’t help wanting to rein her in a bit.

Yan Kangyuan’s mother had also tried to intervene, but Fang Fang had long become immune to scolding and beating by Lady Yu. Her words were like scratching an itch—completely ineffective, and Fang Fang carried on eating and drinking without a care.

Although they were relatives, Madam Zhao truly disliked Fang Fang’s mannerisms. Glancing at Yan Kangyuan, she wasn’t overly fond of her daughter-in-law either and reached over to give Pei Yuan some of the cooked meat, "You eat more too! Look how blessed your cousin is with her plumpness, and you’re all skin and bones!"

Pei Yuan, with a small appetite, couldn’t eat much while taking care of Happy.

Amid all the noise and bustle, Pei Qin actually felt her mood improve quite a bit while watching everyone. She was even excited to offer ideas about the future, "... Once people from various places return to their hometowns, we can get started."

While sitting together after the meal and having tea, Madam Zhao asked Xie Yi, "Has Ms. Xie’s maternal family returned yet?"

"Still waiting for news," said Xie Yi, glancing at Pei Qin.

Madam Zhao then smiled, "Happy really enjoys playing with Ms. Xie. Once Ms. Xie’s maternal family sends word, you’ll be leaving. It looks like we won’t have many days together, and it will be hard to see each other in the future."