Chapter 64: Chapter 38: Labor in Exchange for Tuition

Juhua recalled something she’d read somewhere in her past life. It said: If you want no peace for a day, host a dinner party. If you want no peace for a year, build a house. If you want no peace for a lifetime, get a wife!

Although the last line was a bit harsh, the first two made a lot of sense. Luckily, her family had recently started selling vegetables and bought a lot of new kitchenware. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have known what to use to serve all the dishes tonight.

Mrs. Yang came in and asked, “Should we put the pork offal in the clay pot and keep it warm on the stove to eat?”

Juhua said, “Yes! That’ll make things easier! Otherwise, we’ll serve a bowl, it’ll be gone in a few bites, and we’ll have to refill it. If we fill a clay pot first, we can just pour the refills directly into it later.”

Mrs. Yang quickly had Shi Tou’s mother bring the stove while she carried the clay pot, and they went to the main hall together.

Juhua thought for a moment. Figuring the men would probably be drinking, she picked out some scorched rice and placed it in a small, delicate bamboo basket for them to chew on after dipping it in the pork offal broth.

The main hall grew noisy as everyone started eating. Juhua, Mrs. Yang, and Shi Tou’s mother ate in the kitchen, having already set aside a portion of each dish for themselves.

Little Shitou darted into the kitchen, saying the main hall was too noisy and he wanted to eat here too. Naturally, Gou Dan followed him.

Shi Tou’s mother laughed. “It’s better to eat here! There’s a whole big pot of pork offal over there; you can eat as much as you want. It saves you the trouble of fighting for it at the table and annoying people!”

Little Shitou and Gou Dan were overjoyed. They eyed the large, steaming pot, feeling a profound sense of security.

Juhua looked at their greedy expressions and laughed. “How big are your stomachs? You’ll be full after just a few bites, yet you’re so possessive of your food! Don’t eat too much tonight; it’s hard to sleep if you’re too full. Shi Tou, you eat a little less. I’ll let you take some home later to eat tomorrow.”

Gou Dan asked timidly, “Juhua, can I take some home too?” He still remembered her incredible display of power at the edge of the village the other day, so deep down, he was still a little afraid of her.

Juhua glanced at him. Seeing his timid expression, she felt a pang of annoyance. ’Am I really that scary?’ she thought. ’Then again, my face could probably make a little kid cry. I shouldn’t hold it against him.’

“Okay, I’ll pack some for you too. Don’t stuff yourself. Just eat until you’re full!”

“Okay!” Gou Dan nodded repeatedly.

Shi Tou’s mother and Mrs. Yang couldn’t help but laugh as they watched them.

After eating for a while, Mrs. Yang got up and filled two bowls with pork offal, saying that the people in the main hall had probably eaten most of theirs and she would bring them a refill.

Juhua had just finished eating, so she said, “I’ll take it! You keep eating, Mom.” She wanted to get a look at Qingmu’s teacher anyway.

Seeing that she wasn’t afraid, Mrs. Yang let her take the bowls.

It was already dark outside. Juhua entered the main hall, where two oil lamps had been lit. In the dim yellow light, the old table was crowded with people sitting on all four sides. The men were eating, drinking, and chatting boisterously. The clay pot on the stove sizzled, sending up wisps of steam that curled and swirled, accentuating everyone’s flushed cheeks.

Although Zheng Changhe wasn’t at the table, he was leaning against Qingmu’s bed, watching the lively scene with a broad smile on his face!

Zhang Yang was the first to see Juhua. “Juhua, have you eaten?”

The chatter and laughter came to an abrupt halt as everyone turned to look at Juhua.

Scholar Zhou looked at the ugly girl standing gracefully in the candlelight. ’So this is Qingmu’s sister?’ he thought. ’I’d heard her face was injured, and it really is unsightly. What a pity for a good girl. Look at those eyes… as deep and clear as a lake!’

Juhua’s gaze swept past everyone’s faces, rested on Scholar Zhou’s for a moment, then quickly moved away. She said softly, “I’ve come to add more food. Please, eat your fill. There’s still plenty in the pot!”

With that, she walked over to Qingmu’s side and handed him the bowls.

Qingmu quickly took them and poured the contents into the clay pot on the stove. He carefully studied his sister’s expression, and seeing no trace of timidity or self-consciousness, he felt relieved.

Zhao San roared with laughter. “Juhua, you’re always making such delicious food! It makes your Third Uncle want to come over for dinner all the time. What am I to do? My Shi Tou is always grumbling at home, saying his mom’s cooking isn’t good, not as good as Juhua’s. It makes his mom so mad she threatens to sell him to Brother Changhe as a son so he can eat all of Juhua’s cooking he wants. Only then does he shut up.”

Everyone burst into laughter.

Qin Feng also laughed. “Isn’t that the truth! Forget Little Shitou, even I was hooked after trying Juhua’s cooking just once. That’s why I rushed right over the moment you called me today, afraid I’d be too slow. I even left my medicinal herbs out to dry in the courtyard!”

This sent everyone into another round of roaring laughter.

Li Changxing laughed. “Juhua, I don’t care about anything else, but if I get my hands on some soft-shelled turtles, eels, or anything like that, I’m bringing them to your house for you to cook, and I’ll help myself to a meal while I’m at it. How does that sound?”

’That’d be great!’ Juhua thought. ’I couldn’t ask for more!’

She chuckled. “Sounds good!”

Laixi said to Juhua, “Juhua! Come, sit down and eat some more! These pig’s feet and tails taste amazing. They’re sure to sell well tomorrow!”

Zhang Yang had a mouthful of pig intestines and had been wanting to speak for a while. But after a glance at the composed Mr. Zhou, he held his tongue, quickly swallowed the intestines in a couple of bites, and wiped his mouth clean before asking Juhua, “Juhua, how did you make this smelly stuff taste so fragrant? The pig’s feet are delicious too!”

Juhua smiled. “If you wash it properly, it doesn’t stink!”

At this moment, Mr. Zhou stroked his beard and chuckled. “The ancients said: ’Rice can never be too fine, nor meat too finely minced.’ Your dishes are prepared with great refinement; it’s clear you’ve put in a lot of effort. The village is planning to find someone to cook and clean for me. I’d be delighted if their culinary skills were as good as yours.”

Juhua’s heart skipped a beat. She looked at him quietly and said softly, “Sir, if you wouldn’t mind, I could cook and clean for you. I don’t need any wages, as long as you waive my brother’s tuition fee.”

Qingmu cried out in alarm, “Juhua, how could you possibly manage all that? What if you wear yourself out?” His eyes couldn’t help but turn red. ’Isn’t this my little sister taking care of me now?’

Zheng Changhe also said with a pained heart, “Our home is so far from the village school. How can you manage running back and forth every day? Your brother’s tuition isn’t that much money. Once your dad’s leg heals and I can go sell vegetables again, our family’s situation will improve.”

Qin Feng stared at the scarred face in the lamplight, an indescribable feeling in his heart. Looking again at those lake-like eyes, he found them even more unfathomably deep.

Since Juhua had entered, Zhang Huai had only dared to glance at her once. Yet, he was constantly paying attention to her every move. Hearing her say this, he felt a sudden, baseless pang of jealousy—jealousy towards Qingmu!

Mr. Zhou also said regretfully, “I couldn’t ask for a better offer! But your home is indeed a bit far. The round trip would take up a lot of your time.”

Juhua smiled. “I wouldn’t have to cook at the school. I could just have my brother bring you your meals every day and bring the dishes back after class. Wouldn’t it be nice for your residence to be free of cooking smoke? If I cooked there, I could only make one or two dishes per meal at most, which would be more than you could finish. My family is large, so our meals will naturally have more variety. Besides, we have to cook food to sell at the market every day, so you’ll be able to try a little of everything. As for laundry and cleaning, once every two or three days would be enough. That way, I won’t disturb your peace and quiet.”

Mr. Zhou smiled and nodded, saying with admiration, “That is an excellent idea. It just depends on whether your parents and brother agree—I can see they dote on you very much!”

Juhua glanced at Qingmu and said, “It’s not like it’s strenuous work. It won’t change my daily routine. And as for the laundry I bring back, Mom can help wash it!”

Seeing Juhua’s determination, Qingmu didn’t have the heart to object further. Besides, this was work for their teacher; how could he flatly refuse?

Mr. Zhou studied Juhua. Seeing her speak fluently with a natural and poised demeanor, without the slightest hint of awkwardness, he was secretly amazed.

He asked with a smile, “You support your brother’s studies so much. Do you wish to study as well?”

Juhua glanced at Qingmu and smiled. “My brother teaches me!”

Mr. Zhou’s interest was instantly piqued. He said quickly, “Oh, is that so? No wonder Qingmu asks endless questions at school; it turns out he has to be a teacher when he gets home! In that case, let me test you. Confucius said: ’Is it not a pleasure to learn and to review from time to time? Is it not a pleasure to have friends visiting from afar? Is one not a gentleman if he is not offended when others do not appreciate him?’ What does this mean?”

Juhua was stunned. ’This man is obsessed with teaching! How can he test someone’s knowledge at the dinner table? I’m not even his student! Besides, I’m already famous enough for being ugly. I can’t add the title of ’talented girl’ on top of that. That would be a huge taboo!’

So, she hurriedly lowered her head in feigned shyness, didn’t answer, and scurried out of the room. This provoked a round of laughter from behind her. ’Now *that’s* how Juhua is supposed to act!’

After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, the guests departed, leaving behind a messy table. The flickering lamplight served as a reminder of the earlier clamor, and the air still seemed to echo with laughter and cheerful voices, dispelling the usual chill of a party’s end.

Laixi and Qingmu rolled up their sleeves and began efficiently cleaning up the mess.

Juhua slumped against Zheng Changhe, too lazy to move an inch. She was utterly exhausted today. There was no need to be polite with her own brother and cousin, so she let them handle the cleanup.

Laixi looked at Juhua leaning against Zheng Changhe and said with a laugh, “Juhua, if you can’t take it anymore, just go to sleep. Cousin Qingmu and I will do the dishes. Don’t worry, we guarantee they’ll be sparkling clean.”

Zheng Changhe patted Juhua’s head and said tenderly, “Hua, why don’t you go to sleep first? Your mom is watching the stove.”

“I want to wash up before I sleep,” Juhua said listlessly, her voice faint.

“Then go wash up quickly!” Zheng Changhe said.

’But there are still people in the kitchen!’ Juhua thought. ’I’ll just take the basin to my room and wash in the dark.’ She felt as if her body weighed a thousand pounds, so she couldn’t be bothered with anything else.

Fortunately, she didn’t need to heat more water.

Qingmu and Mrs. Yang also urged her to wash up and go to sleep quickly. Qingmu said, “You go to sleep. I’ll come empty the water later!”

Juhua obediently agreed, enjoying her brother’s care. She washed up as told and went to sleep. When exhaustion reaches a certain point, the body completely ignores the harshness of its surroundings. Whether on a hard bed or a pile of straw, sleep comes all the same.

And just like that, Juhua fell into a dreamless sleep, so deep that she was still asleep the next morning when Mrs. Yang and Laixi had already left.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep