Chapter 13: Eldest Uncle’s House

Walking south along the small road for over a hundred meters, then west for a few dozen meters, they arrived at the entrance of a large courtyard. The courtyard wall was approximately chest high, made of adobe bricks. Upon entering the sturdy wooden gate, there were three rooms in the main building with two side rooms, as well as an east wing and a west wing, all with blue brick and tiled roofs, quite impressive. This courtyard could be considered one of the grandest residences in the entire village.

The courtyard was quite spacious, with a jujube tree, a willow tree, a stone table with four stone stools, and a large earthy dog tied to a tree, barking wildly at them.

This large courtyard was funded by Third Uncle Chen Shi, who did business in the prefectural city. It was only completed last year, so it was still brand new.

Beside the stone table, a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl was playing with two children. She wore a faded pea-green jacket, white undergarments, and pants. Although the jacket was faded, and the undergarments and pants were somewhat yellowed from washing, they were, at least, free of patches. She could be considered delicate, with phoenix eyes, slightly upturned corners, fair skin, but her eyes revealed some stubbornness and resentment.

Upon seeing this family, she snorted and said, “Dirty, you didn’t even wash your face properly before visiting.” Then she raised her head and went into the east wing.

This should be the renowned Chen Jue.

A two-year-old girl looked at Chen Feng and said, “Dirty, let your mother wash you clean.”

A four-year-old boy, just as stubborn as Chen Jue, snorted and followed her into the east wing.

These two little ones should be Eldest Cousin Chen Gui’s children, Chen Dahua and Chen Daya. Although their attitudes weren’t friendly, children are innocent. If it weren’t for adults inciting them, they wouldn’t act this way.

A fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl came out of the kitchen, smiling, “Second Uncle, Second Aunt, A’Feng, don’t be angry, my sister has been indulged at home. Come, sit inside, my grandma and dad are waiting for you.” She should be Eldest Uncle’s daughter, Chen Lan. She resembled Chen Jue to some extent, but her gaze was much more gentle.

Chen Ming shook his head.

Wang seemed to be used to Chen Jue’s rudeness, forcing a smile, “Second Aunt understands, A’Jue has an stubborn nature.”

Entering the main building, they reached the hall. In front was a large table with two chairs beside it, and several more chairs on each side. The room was empty.

They then went to the west wing, where by the window, an elderly lady in her fifties and a man in his thirties were sitting on the large heated brick bed platform, and a young man in his twenties was sitting on a chair next to them. These three should be Grandma Chen, Eldest Uncle Chen Ye, and Eldest Cousin Chen Gui.

Grandma Chen wore a gray dress, slim and wise-looking, with a silver hairpin on her head, the typical image of a shrewd rural old lady. Chen Ye and Chen Gui were dressed like typical rural folk, in blue short jackets, but without patches, and they looked robust and healthy, indicating a good life.

Chen Ye smiled as he got off the heated brick bed to greet Chen Ming and the others. He said, “Everyone’s here, come, let’s go to the hall to wish Mom a happy birthday.”

Similar to Grandma Chen, Chen Ye’s smile was much more sincere, with his gaze only pausing briefly on Chen Feng and Chen Dabao.

Chen Feng could also understand the attitudes of Grandma Chen and Uncle Chen Ye, as people are inherently selfish.

From Mrs. Wang’s demeanor over the past few days, she sensed that since A’Lu’s leg injury, they hadn’t shown any kindness to A’Feng and Dabao.

Chen Dabao was somewhat disappointed, as he called out “Great grandma” and “Aunt” louder than anyone, yet he didn’t manage to capture their attention. Fortunately, Eldest Cousin Chen Gui intervened, calling out “A’Feng, Dabao,” and even took Chen Dabao’s hand.

In the hall, Chen Ye shouted, “A’Feng’s mother, hurry up and bring everyone over to wish Grandma a happy birthday.”

Grandma Chen was just about to sit down at the Eight Immortals table when Eldest Aunt Hu, Eldest Sister-in-law Gao, and Second Cousin Chen Lan walked out of the kitchen, with Chen Jue leading Chen Dahua and Chen Daya from the east wing.

Mrs. Hu, Chen Ye, and Mrs. Wang were all thirty-six years old, but they looked much younger. Mrs. Hu were nimble and fair-skinned, resembling Chen Jue. Mrs. Hu wore a brown embroidered jacket and an apron, with a silver hairpin and a pair of gold earrings. Such attire, in the countryside, led the fashion trend, and even some landlords might not have been as extravagant.

Chen Ye and Chen Ming stood in the front, while Chen Feng, Chen Lu, and Chen Dabao stood at the back. The entire family knelt down to kowtow and wish Grandma Chen a happy birthday. It was a bit of an effort for Chen Feng to kneel and kowtow, so Lu and Dabao had to help.

After the kowtow, Mrs. Wang presented the clothes she had made to Grandma Chen. Grandma Chen beamed and commented, “Oh, these are made of fine fabric. The embroidered character ‘Fu’ looks really nice, just like a ready-made garment from a boutique in the county town.”

Mrs. Hu pursed her lips and said, “Mother-in-law, my needlework might not be as good as Sister-in-law’s, but I serve you respectfully every day, morning and night. It’s easy to do a good deed once, but it’s hard to do good deeds every day.”

Grandma Chen didn’t want to get into a spat with anyone today, so she simply smiled and said, “Yes, I know you’re a filial daughter-in-law.”

Chen Ye frowned and scolded, “You talk too much.”

Chen Ming then pulled out fifty wén and gave it to Chen Ye, saying, “Mom, I wish you a happy birthday. It’s not right for only Big Brother’s family to spend money.”

Chen Ye declined, saying, “Second Brother saying this makes it awkward. You and Third Brother have to pay annual grain tribute to Mom, so how can you give additional money?”

Grandma Chen hurriedly added, “Second son, take the money. Your brothers are right. It’s not right for your family to spend extra.”

Mrs. Hu was afraid that Chen Ye wouldn’t accept it, so she said, “In the past, you supported your second brother and third brother’s studies at a young age. When I entered the household, I served them like a slave. They have both started their own families and careers, so it’s only right for them to contribute to Mom’s birthday. It’s not fair for us to bear the entire burden.”

Chen Ye scolded, “You’re such an irritating woman, always meddling in everything.”

Seeing that her husband had accepted the money, Mrs. Hu said to Gao and Lan, “Come, let’s go work. Oh, we don’t have such good fortune to have the food served right in front of us.”

Gao and Lan responded and followed her out.

Mrs. Wang quickly followed them, saying, “If there’s any work, Sister-in-law, just assign it to me.”

Chen Ye, Chen Ming, and Chen Gui returned to the west room to chat with Grandma Chen. Chen Jue took the two younger ones out, and in a blink of an eye, only Chen Feng and the other two remained in the hall.

After a while, Grandma Chen belatedly said, “No, I have to go see. Wang is the one who cooks for Second Son’s family. She shouldn’t be poked into doing rough work by that wasteful woman and end up injuring her hand.” She quickly got off the heated brick bed and headed to the kitchen.

Chen Ye added, “My wife never learns her lesson, so Mom needs to give her a few words. That woman is foolish and has never had any sense.”

Mrs. Wang was particularly careful with her hands. When doing rough work like carrying water or watering the fields, she would cover her hands with a cloth.

The kitchen in the main building was adjacent to the west wing. As soon as Grandma Chen entered the kitchen, she could hear someone scolding and Mrs. Hu explaining, as if Mrs. Hu had asked Wang to light a fire.

For most people, lighting a fire was the easiest task in the kitchen. However, for Wang, who cherished her hands, it was not a favorable job.

In their rural household, they usually picked dry sticks and would have to break off the longer or surplus branches while lighting the fire. This could easily lead to hand injuries and roughened skin. In their own home, they never let Mrs. Wang light the fire.