Chapter 99: Chapter 60: The Ginseng Incident

The Lin Family heard people say that the children’s paternal aunt was selling pig offal at Xiatang Market, and business was so incredible that even Laixi was making money too. She couldn’t help but feel envious and greedy. Seeing that the eldest son, Yang Defa, was at the general store and the Yang Family sent him pig offal every day—meaning he never went without meat—made her even more resentful. After all, her own family had only eaten pig offal twice.

Therefore, she dragged her two sons over today, planning to stay at her sister-in-law’s house for a while. There would be food and drink, no chores, and meat with every meal. ’Who wouldn’t love that?’

But as it turned out, the Yang Family had always been forthright and never minced words, dismissing her with just a few sentences. She had no choice but to abandon her little scheme, deciding to at least eat pig offal for a few days before thinking again. ’Juhua’s cooking is just too delicious,’ she thought. ’I really don’t want to leave.’

The night passed without incident, but trouble arrived the next morning.

Luckily, Laicai hadn’t slept in the same bed as Juhua. The boy must have been ravenous, as he’d stuffed himself with pig offal at both noon and night—that offal was stewed with pickled vegetables, giving it a very strong, salty flavor. Having eaten so much salt, he drank a ton of water, and the result was that both brothers opened the floodgates during the night—they’d wet the bed!

Looking at the “map” stained across the new bedsheet and the pile of clothes the two brothers had changed out of, Juhua felt another headache coming on.

The Yang Family left early with her carrying pole, as usual—after all, she couldn’t just stop doing business because the mother and her sons were visiting. Before leaving, she instructed Juhua to soak the bedsheet for her aunt to wash, and also mentioned it to the Lin Family. The woman agreed loud and clear.

The woman from the Lin Family, for her part, wasn’t idle after waking. She held her younger son while warming his shoes and socks by the fire, only putting them on Laishou once they were toasty. When she was done with his, she started on Laicai’s.

When she saw Juhua take the sheet from the Yang Family’s bed and put it in a basin to soak, she quickly gathered the two boys’ pile of clothes, carried them over, and said to Juhua with a broad smile, “Juhua, be a dear and wash Laicai’s and Laishou’s clothes too. They’ll have nothing to change into otherwise!”

Juhua decided not to mince words with her. She looked up at the Lin Family and said, “Second Aunt, I can’t touch cold water. In the winter, my whole body is ice-cold. Didn’t Mother tell me I was to soak the sheet and you were to wash it? I still have food on the stove.”

’Is this any way to live? I’m busy as hell, and I still have to wait on this mother and her two boys.’

The Lin Family stared at her, stunned. It seemed she’d never expected the formerly meek and timid Juhua to say such a thing. On previous visits, she had always worked her “ugly niece” to the bone, never needing to lift a finger herself as she ordered Juhua to do everything. She hadn’t expected that on this visit, Juhua would be like a completely different person.

Juhua didn’t say anything more and went back to tending the fire under the stove. ’Mother went to sell vegetables, so why didn’t she go home? How long is she planning to stay? My brother should be back in a day or two. If Second Aunt is still here then, where is everyone going to sleep at night?’

Her second aunt didn’t leave, and at noon, her grandmother returned with her mother.

When Mrs. Wang saw Juhua with her face veiled, looking so quiet and virtuous, her eyes instantly grew moist. The old woman reached out a warm, dry hand to touch Juhua’s thin arm. After feeling its size, she said with a pained heart, “Oh, Hua! How are you still so thin? There’s not an ounce of flesh on this little arm, and your hand is ice-cold. Cuizhi, Juhua needs to be properly nourished.”

The Yang Family sighed and said, “We are trying to nourish her. Her constitution has been poor since she was little; it can’t be fixed in a day or two. She’s also exceptionally sensitive to the cold. In this weather, she can’t bear to be away from the fire and shivers all day long.” In her heart, she knew that the last time Juhua fell in the water it had also damaged her health, but she didn’t dare mention it.

Mrs. Wang was about to say something else when Laicai charged over, yelling, “Grandma!”

He threw himself into Mrs. Wang’s arms, knocking her back a step.

Juhua quickly grabbed her grandmother to steady her, then said to Laicai, “Why are you running? Can’t you just walk properly? What would you have done if you’d knocked Grandma over?”

Mrs. Wang, annoyed, grabbed the boy and gave his bottom a light smack. “Always climbing up and down, chasing dogs and chickens—you never rest for a moment,” she said. “You’re not even as well-behaved as Laishou. Little kids… at one or two, they’re fun but need to be carried; at three or four, when they’re just starting to talk, they’re at their most charming; at five or six, they get a bit naughty; but by eight or nine, even the dogs can’t stand them.”

’It’s not just the dogs who can’t stand him,’ Juhua thought. ’I’m afraid even the chickens have had enough.’

Laicai grinned at Mrs. Wang and said, “Grandma, there’s lots of pig head meat and pig offal at Auntie’s house, and it’s so delicious! Why don’t you tell my dad to come eat too? Why didn’t you bring him with you?”

Juhua cringed internally at his words.

Mrs. Wang scolded him. “That’s for selling! Is it easy for your aunt to earn a bit of money? All you know how to do all day is eat. And what mischief did you get into last night? Look at you, so big and still wetting the bed just like Laishou.”

Although Laicai was a little embarrassed, he hated being called out. He stiffened his neck, unhappily wriggled free from Mrs. Wang’s hand, and ran off to the side.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep