Chapter 329

Shuiqing looked at Aunt Wu who had come to report, her brows slightly furrowed. “Why didn’t you report this earlier?”

The medicinal herb workshop had been operating for over two months now, and the workers were already very skilled and cooperative. Most days, it was Jiajia and Uncle Ding and Aunt Ding who handled technical guidance, so she didn’t need to worry much.

Especially tomorrow, when school would start in the village, everyone was particularly focused. The men were busy setting up the schoolhouse, adjusting the tables and stone chairs for stability; the women were preparing food under Aunt Guifen’s direction.

Shanshui Village had over thirty households, totaling more than four hundred people of all ages. Organizing a feast for so many wasn’t easy, especially since it was the first time.

Old Village Chief and the elders felt that participating in village affairs was increasingly rare. They were always anxious. Aunt Guifen was under pressure, afraid of making mistakes. These past few days, they kept asking her for advice.

Because of this busyness, they hadn’t checked on the medicinal herb workshop. They didn’t expect trouble now!

Aunt Wu was sweating, cautiously saying, “A couple of days ago, it was just your mother-in-law. We thought since she’s your real mother and all alone, our meals for thirty or forty people were enough for her. So we didn’t think it necessary to report.”

Mrs. Fan had been causing trouble, insulting everyone morning and night. It was unbearable. Shuiqing had been busy these days, so they didn’t want to bother her with these unpleasant matters.

She managed to eat lunch later and didn’t scold them afterward, so they thought it might have been a passing annoyance. They were happy she didn’t scold, and if they ate less, it was no big deal. So they decided to keep quiet.

But today, Mrs. Fan unexpectedly brought her eldest son and four grandsons!

The workshop only prepared meals for thirty or so people, and suddenly there were six more, including five grown men. How could they manage? It was too much of a gap. They couldn’t handle it and had to report it quickly, seeking Shuiqing’s advice.

After thinking for a moment, Shuiqing understood the underlying social dynamics. The women in the village placed more importance on the workshop. After all, Mrs. Fan was her mother-in-law, and since she wanted to eat a meal prepared by her own son, how could they refuse? It was just one meal, not a big deal.

Her mother-in-law had indeed been causing a lot of trouble lately, as she knew well.

She would cry, scream, and threaten to kill herself if her demands weren’t met. Fan Jin avoided her by preparing for school. She would rather her mother-in-law not come to bother her. She might scold or cry, but she wouldn’t go so far as to threaten suicide, so there was no substantial loss.

But unexpectedly, her mother-in-law had come to the workshop to eat, and she hadn’t had enough to eat, so she had brought her eldest son and his family to eat!

“Aunt Wu, you go tell them the storeroom is full. The men should go and drive my eldest brother and his family out; as for my mother-in-law, don’t touch her. She’ll eat today, and everyone will definitely go to the village feast tomorrow. The day after tomorrow, when they start work, you just lock the workshop’s door and that’s it.”

It was okay to eat more once. Even if she ate continuously, she could afford it. However, she knew her mother-in-law was not accustomed to such things. She would take over the entire workshop and manage medicinal herb production in her own way. Next, she would give orders to her family.

That’s why this had to be nipped in the bud.

Aunt Wu sighed with relief.

Shuiqing’s decision was excellent. She couldn’t drive out her mother-in-law, but the Fan family could be driven out. It wouldn’t matter if it got out in the village. After all, Fan Jin was a scholar. The men working in the workshop could decide if they didn’t want Mrs. Fan to enter, and it was their decision. It had nothing to do with the landlord!

Acknowledging with a “okay,” she then anxiously reminded, “Shuiqing, I’m afraid your mother-in-law will come looking for you later to make a scene. You should hide in the village for a while. It’ll be quieter.”

Shuiqing murmured in agreement, “I’ll go to the old village chief’s house. If you need me, you can find me there.”

Their current situation was indeed different from before. During the division of property, they were poor and struggling, while her mother-in-law and eldest brother’s family had it better. But now the tables had turned. The old tactics weren’t applicable anymore. It was better to avoid confrontation, handle things calmly. After the workshop was locked up and a few futile tantrums, things might settle down. But would they really settle down? … Sigh, Fan Jin was really good. How did he end up with such a mother?

The courtyard of the old village chief’s house was bustling with noise, incredibly lively for a cold winter month.

Wang Guifen, with a thin sheen of sweat on her busy forehead, saw Shuiqing approaching and rushed over as if she had found a lifeline. “Shuiqing, you’re finally here! I was just about to come find you! Tomorrow’s menu is finally settled. Listen, do you have any changes to suggest?”

Shuiqing smiled lightly, “Don’t worry, take your time.”

Wang Guifen was genuinely nervous. She took a few deep breaths and rattled off, “We’ve ordered a whole pig from you. The fatty parts will be stewed with radishes, some of the lean meat will be stir-fried with pickled chili, and some with shredded winter bamboo shoots. We’ll also use the big bones to make several pots of bone broth. It’ll be served with coarse rice. That’s for lunch.

For dinner, we’ll use the pork fat scraps to stir-fry napa cabbage, and use pork fat to stir-fry leek and egg for a noodle topping. The broth will still be made from the big bones. The noodles will be three parts wheat flour and seven parts foxtail millet flour. How does that sound?”

With a pig weighing over two hundred pounds and over four hundred people in the village, the pork belly, ribs, and other parts couldn’t be distributed evenly, nor would it be practical. Luckily, Shuiqing said her family loved these dishes. Tomorrow, they’d only sell pork meat, and she’d keep the offal and pork trotters and ribs for their own consumption.

She also asked her to keep the big bones, saying they didn’t need to be divided. They could just be boiled for soup, which with the meaty flavor was enough to serve as a main dish, especially when served hot with some greens and scallions to warm up in winter.

Initially, Wang Guifen had wanted to make dumplings, but Shuiqing said few people in the village knew how to make them well. If they were poorly made and the skins broke, they’d end up with a pot of mushy soup. Rolling noodles was also a skillful task, so it was safer to stick with making noodles with toppings, which were just as delicious.

After the women who came to help knew the menu, they couldn’t stop talking about it for a while.