Chapter 147: Chapter 83: Where There Are Women, There Is Much Laughter

Just as things were getting into full swing, the village chief’s wife, Mrs. Fang, and Old Cheng’s wife, Mrs. Huang, brought a group of people over to grind acorn flour.

Looking at the crowded kitchen and the boisterous gaggle of wives, Juhua was filled with a regret she couldn’t put into words. ’I should have just ground the flour myself and given it to them. The house has been as bustling as a marketplace these past few days.’

’Which sage was it who said, “Where there are chickens and ducks, there is much droppings; where there are young women, there is much laughter”? There’s also the proverb, “Three women can make a drama.” With eight or nine of them crammed into the kitchen now, they could stage several.’

This group of wives wasn’t actually that young; they were all in their thirties and forties. But since they spent all year busy with their own household chores, it was a rare occasion for so many of them to get together. The conversation topics were endless, and the laughter was nonstop.

One would talk about her husband, another her son, while someone else chimed in about their daughter. The topics then drifted to pigs, chickens, and what to plant next spring. My goodness, the scene was so raucous that even a grown man like Zheng Changhe didn’t dare glance their way.

Mrs. Yang enthusiastically filled two bamboo trays with puffed rice candy and brought them out for everyone to eat.

The wives praised her as they ate. Some flattered Mrs. Yang on her improved fortunes. Some enviously complimented her daughter’s excellent cooking. Others praised Mrs. Yang for being the most generous person they knew, saying they’d never met anyone so hospitable. Their mouths chattered away without a pause.

The whole room was full of people talking and laughing, and with the added CRUNCH, CRUNCH, CRUNCH of everyone chewing the puffed rice candy, Juhua was starting to feel dizzy.

Suddenly, Mrs. Fang came over and said to her with a smile, “My son, Changyu, is back home. He brought some pastries from Qinghui, so I brought a few boxes for you to try. We’re always eating your family’s food, it’s quite embarrassing!”

As she spoke, she took three beautifully packaged boxes of pastries from her basket and handed them to Juhua. They looked even nicer than the ones Qingmu had brought back last time.

Juhua froze for a second. ’Right, I remember now,’ she thought. ’Li Changyu said he would bring me some pastries when he came back for the New Year. This must be them. His mother is so tactful, saying *she* brought them for me, not that Changyu brought them specifically *for* me.’

Looking at Mrs. Fang’s beaming face, Juhua smiled and said, “Well then, thank you, Auntie.”

Mrs. Fang smiled gently. “Don’t mention it! Changyu’s aunt tried the spicy cabbage your brother brought over and absolutely loved it. I followed the recipe your mother taught me and pickled a large batch. After the New Year, I’ll have Changfeng and Changyu take it to her. This was all your clever idea to begin with, wasn’t it? We’re all just reaping the benefits.”

When her son, Changyu, had gotten home, he’d wanted to go straight to the Zheng Family’s house to give the pastries to Juhua, but Mrs. Fang had stopped him. She knew that Juhua’s house would be full of people grinding acorn flour for the next couple of days. If those wives saw Changyu giving pastries to Juhua, they might start jumping to conclusions, and that would be bad for both her son and Juhua.

She knew that Changyu had bought these pastries to thank Juhua, partly because of the Zheng Family’s delicious spicy cabbage, and partly because he found Juhua to be a sweet and charming girl. If his gift ended up causing trouble for her, it would do more harm than good.

Just then, Old Cheng’s wife, Mrs. Huang, came over and chimed in, “Isn’t that the truth! Juhua is so clever with her hands. She taught my Lanzi how to cook several new dishes, and now Lanzi’s food is much tastier than mine. Juhua, these are cotton shoes Lanzi made for you. She said you already have two pairs, so she made these for you to wear next year. She was afraid they might be too small by then, so she made them a little bigger on purpose. Please don’t mind her handiwork.”

With that, she handed over a brand-new pair of cotton shoes.

When Mrs. Yang saw them, she hurried over for a closer look, exclaiming happily, “Oh, you really shouldn’t have! Lanzi is so busy, yet she still found time to make shoes for Juhua. My goodness! Lanzi’s needlework is just incredible—and I’m not just saying this, Sister Fang, even those of us who’ve been sewing for decades can’t match her!”

Juhua was grinning from ear to ear. She could never have too many pairs of shoes, and these cloth ones were exceptionally comfortable.

Seeing that the mother and daughter were both genuinely delighted, and hearing Mrs. Yang lavish more praise on Lanzi, Mrs. Huang’s heart swelled with pride. After all, what mother doesn’t love to hear her daughter praised?

On the other side of the room, the mill handle began to CREAK, and the millstone started to RUMBLE as it turned. Staring at the resulting acorn flour, the wives erupted into another noisy debate, this time over how many pigs would be best to raise next year.

A short, young-looking wife spoke up. “This is our first time feeding pigs with acorns, shouldn’t we be more careful? What if we get too many piglets and can’t raise them properly?”

Another, heavier-set wife immediately scoffed, “Haven’t you seen Aunt Zheng feeding her pigs acorns for this long? Her pig grew up just fine, didn’t it? Aunt Zheng, how much meat did you get from your slaughtered pig?” She called out the last question loudly to Mrs. Yang.

Mrs. Yang laughed. “We got two hundred and five jin of meat. It’s natural for Yuan’s wife to be concerned. My pig had only been eating acorns for a few months. At first, I didn’t dare to mix in too much either—I’d only add one scoop of acorn meal to a bucket of slop. Once the pig got used to it, I started adding more. For piglets, you have to start with even less, but it’s fine now. You can’t just feed them acorns, though. You absolutely must mix it with other pig feed. You should all try raising two first. If that goes well, you can always get more.”

Yuan’s wife listened with great concentration, nodding repeatedly. Even the heavier-set wife stopped arguing. It was as if Mrs. Yang’s answer was the final, authoritative word on the matter, and they were all completely convinced.

And why wouldn’t they be? She had been feeding her pig acorns for months; of course she had more experience than any of them.

And so the conversation returned to the topic of getting piglets, before shifting moments later to Big Mouth Zhao’s marriage prospects. Then, somehow, it jumped to the issue of Huang Dagunzi’s family’s new in-laws visiting this year. In any case, the women chattered away, sounding as if they were arguing, the focus of their conversation leaping from one thing to the next. Juhua listened, stunned. It was a real eye-opener. Eventually, however, she couldn’t take it anymore. She said a quick word to Zheng Changhe and fled.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep