Chapter 15: Second Aunt’s Obstruction

Seeing Grandma Wang’s expression, Wang Yuan’er felt uneasy, remembering how her grandmother had always been unkind to their family. She thought about her past life; if not for her grandmother’s approval, her second uncle and aunt wouldn’t have arranged such a poor marriage for her, and her siblings wouldn’t have met such unfortunate ends.

The more Wang Yuan’er thought about it, the more disheartened she became. Her eyes dimmed with disappointment. As she was about to say something to ease her grandmother’s difficulty, the old man spoke, “We’re all family. It’s just a few eggs. If you’re going to make food to sell, go ahead and take them.”

“Grandpa, are you serious?” Wang Yuan’er was overjoyed and looked at the old man. Her grandfather wasn’t particularly kind, had a bit of a temper, and didn’t usually involve himself in matters. This time, he was actually speaking up for her?

The old man was about to speak when someone rushed in from outside and said, “Father, Mother, this won’t do.”

Everyone looked and saw it was Madam Zhang.

Wang Yuan’er pursed her lips. This second aunt always seemed afraid she would take advantage of them. It was just a few eggs. She wasn’t taking them for free. Was it necessary for her to jump out like this?

Just as she was about to say something sharp, Grandma Wang scolded Madam Zhang first, “Have you no sense of being an elder or a wife? In a few years, you’ll be a mother-in-law. Eavesdropping on your parents-in-law? Did you learn your manners and virtues from a dog?”

Madam Zhang’s face turned red, and she awkwardly said, “I just saw that the light was still on in your room and thought I’d come to see if you needed anything.”

Grandma Wang snorted, clearly not believing her.

Madam Zhang, however, couldn’t care less about Grandma Wang’s displeasure. She hurriedly said, “Mother, it took a lot of effort to save that jar of eggs. How can we let Yuan’er waste them? We usually can’t even bring ourselves to eat them.”

She was exaggerating. She hadn’t tasted many of those eggs herself. The other day, this girl had sneakily buried two boiled eggs in the rice pot. If she hadn’t noticed, she might have secretly eaten them. Saying it was to nourish Madam Liang and her unborn brother was nonsense. Who didn’t go through childbirth? Why was she so special?

This matter wasn’t settled, and now this girl wanted more eggs for some food she had never heard of. She didn’t believe it could make any money and didn’t want to waste a whole jar of eggs.

“What tea eggs or marinated eggs? I’ve never heard of them. What if it doesn’t work? It’d be like throwing meat buns at dogs—gone for good,” Madam Zhang said, pursing her lips.

Wang Yuan’er was furious and said, “Second Aunt, I’m not taking them for free. I’ll definitely pay Grandma back when I make money.”

“What if it doesn’t work and you can’t sell them?”

“You…” Wang Yuan’er gritted her teeth, “If it really doesn’t work, I’ll write a pledge. I’ll work as hard as a horse to repay Grandma. Will that suffice?”

“Ha, anyone can say empty words. You…”

“Enough.” Grandma Wang slapped the kang table heavily and glared at both of them, “Is a jar of eggs worth arguing over? Yuan’er, if you’re confident, take them. But let me clarify—if it doesn’t work, you’ll have to repay the egg money in the future.”

“Mother…” Madam Zhang’s eyes widened.

“Am I in charge of this house, or are you?” Grandma Wang said coldly, glaring at Madam Zhang, who left angrily.

“Grandma, I promise I’ll pay you back for the eggs,” Wang Yuan’er said cheerfully, now that she had permission, and left happily.

Chapter 16 Wang Er Advises His Wife

Wang Er came home drunk, flopping onto the kang and waving his hand, “Cuizhi, get me a bowl of water.”

Madam Zhang was still sulking. Wang Er’s weight pressed down on her leg, making her yelp in pain. The strong smell of alcohol hit her, and she angrily slapped his shoulder, “You scoundrel, where did you drink so much horse piss again?”

Wang Er responded with a belch, making her even angrier. She punched him twice before getting off the kang in a huff. She went out to fetch hot water and a towel, first making him drink two bowls of warm water and then wiping his face with the towel.

“Cuizhi is still the best,” Wang Er said with a cheeky grin, his hand creeping up her waist.

Slap!

Madam Zhang angrily slapped his hand away, throwing the towel heavily into the basin, splashing water everywhere. She said aggrievedly, “How am I good? I serve your parents every day like a servant, but their hearts are all focused on the women in the east wing.”

“What happened? Who dared to upset you?” Wang Er, sensing something was wrong, sat up slightly.

“Other than your mother and those in the east wing, who else could upset me?” Madam Zhang snorted, then recounted the events of the evening. She concluded, “It’s strange. Mother used to dislike the women in the east wing, but now she favors them.”

“What do you know?” Wang Er lay back down and said, “When the eldest brother was getting married, Mother had arranged for him to marry the eldest daughter of the Ma family from Ma Tou Village, but he refused and insisted on marrying our sister-in-law. Mother had no choice but to agree, but it caused a rift between them. Sister-in-law has been here for over ten years, giving birth only to daughters, so Mother naturally disliked her.”

“And now?”

Wang Er sighed, “Now that the eldest brother is gone, the first household has lost half its strength. It’s all women over there. Mother may seem harsh, but she’s soft-hearted.”

Madam Zhang pursed her lips, “By that logic, Sister-in-law could be considered unlucky. Mother should dislike her more, not favor their household.”

“Don’t get worked up over a jar of eggs. How much money could they bring? Ruining your relationship with Mother over a few eggs isn’t worth it. Now that my eldest brother is gone, I manage the shop. In the future, who do you think all this will belong to? I think you’re being too shortsighted.”

Madam Zhang was stunned for a moment, then smiled and began to massage his legs to please him. “I guess I was overthinking.”

Wang Er grunted, pointing to a spot on his back, “A bit harder here, it’s sore.”

Madam Zhang blushed and spat lightly but continued to massage him gently. After a while, she said, “Even though Eldest Brother is gone, Sister-in-law is still pregnant. If it’s a girl, then fine, but if it’s a boy…”

“So what if it’s a boy? We have two sons in our household. How can we get less? Besides, I’ve always managed the shop.” Wang Er opened his eyes and saw Madam Zhang’s blushing face in the lamplight, feeling a stir. He reached for her waist again, grinning, “You should work harder and give me another son. Then this family will be ours.”

Feeling weak from his touch, Madam Zhang whimpered and fell into his embrace. The lamplight flickered in the room.