Chapter 98

The elderly men surrounding them were immediately won over by Fan Jin and Hu Shuiqing’s generosity.

They never imagined that Fan Jin and Hu Shuiqing would proactively offer to exchange rabbits instead of selling them, and that too at a loss of a few coins per pound. This great kindness made them feel ashamed.

Uncle Fan patted Fan Jin on the shoulder, shamefacedly saying, “Second nephew, I misunderstood you and your wife! I am ashamed!”

Previously, Aunt Fan had come over crying, claiming that her younger daughter-in-law was unfilial and that her younger son sided with his wife, forgetting his mother. She lamented that her son, whom she had raised with much hardship, was now devoted to his wife. But now, it was clear that second nephew and his wife were broad-minded people with a far-reaching vision, who wouldn’t stoop to argue with Aunt Fan.

Old Man Xu also sighed, “I also misunderstood you two in the past. You’ve had it tough.”

All the elderly men thought about the previous rumors they had heard, saying that Fan’s mother and Fan’s eldest sister-in-law were planning to sell Big Sister and Second Sister to marry off Dazhu. No wonder Fan Jin and his family wanted to split from them. They looked at the tall walls and large courtyard. It had only been a short time since they separated, and they were already living in a big house. People with such capability were suppressed so badly before the separation, and their two daughters almost got sold!

Now, thinking about it, such a good son and daughter-in-law couldn’t be accommodated by Fan’s mother. It couldn’t be their fault; it must have been Fan’s mother’s fault. Otherwise, how could they have gone from nothing to being prosperous once they split up?

“By the way, your mother said she wasn’t coming today because she wasn’t invited?” The old village chief guessed from everyone’s expressions that Fan’s mother must have cried to not only his family but also to other close relatives and clansmen.

Certain things needed to be clarified in front of everyone. Once Fan Jin explained, it would be clear who was right and who was wrong.

Fan Jin had already gone to invite his mother yesterday, but she said that if they didn’t invite his elder brother’s family, she wouldn’t come. He made it clear that his elder brother and sister-in-law were neither elderly nor had helped with the work, so they weren’t part of the feast. If it was a relative visiting for the housewarming, they would need to bring a gift, and that would be acceptable.

Upon hearing about bringing a gift, his elder brother’s face immediately darkened, and his sister-in-law spoke sarcastically. He pretended not to hear and said they were welcome to visit the house, but there would be no food provided.

Lastly, “I invited her yesterday, but my mother said that thinking about my elder brother still living in the old house made her feel bad, so she wouldn’t come to the feast. But she said the food and wine could be sent to her room, and she would eat at home. Shuiqing already had Jiang He and the kids send it over early.”

The elderly men looked incredulous.

They had seen favoritism before, but Fan’s mother’s bias was extreme!

What did she mean by “still living in the old house”? That was one of the best brick houses in the village. When they split the family, the eldest got that house, while the second son didn’t even have a place to shelter from the wind and rain! Now, the second son built a big house with his own ability, and instead of being happy for him, the mother felt bad? What kind of logic was this?

As for sending the food and wine to her room, she really knew how to take advantage of a good situation!

The elderly men’s expressions changed several times. The stone that had been weighing on Fan Jin’s heart finally lifted.

Shuiqing didn’t care about her own reputation, but he did. He couldn’t let his mother ruin Shuiqing’s reputation in the village. She was wonderful and didn’t deserve any tarnish because of his mother.

The village chief struck his cane on the ground heavily and said coldly, “You’ve done enough. If she doesn’t want to come, so be it.”

Uncle Fan sighed deeply, “You and your wife should just live your lives well.”

The others thought they couldn’t follow Fan’s mother’s words. Otherwise, such a good family would never have a chance to thrive. They then thought, fortunately, Fan Jin and his family had split off; otherwise, how could they have had a chance to benefit from exchanging chicken heads, mushrooms, and now even rabbits?

This was a blessing from heaven for their village, not letting Fan Jin’s family be buried under Fan’s mother!

Fan Jin just wanted to clear Shuiqing’s name but unexpectedly achieved outstanding results. His dark eyes filled with sincere smiles.

When Jiang He came back and called everyone to eat, they turned towards the new house. Seeing Shuiqing again, their expressions were not just friendly but also respectful.

Shuiqing was puzzled and turned to look at Fan Jin. He still had his gentle and elegant smile, not explaining anything.

Shuiqing thought: You should at least explain.

When they first arrived, besides the village chief, these elderly men were not so friendly, let alone respectful. Fan Jin must have said something to change their attitudes. She was curious about how Fan Jin managed to change their views. After all, the older people get, the more stubborn they become, believing their ideas are always right. How much effort did Fan Jin put in to change their attitudes?

However, this wasn’t the time to ask about that…

“Da Jiang, Da He, you two go ahead and seat everyone!”

“And you little ones, there’s not enough space at this table, so you need to join the men’s table!”

Fan He protested, “Mom, there are so many men smoking dry tobacco over there. I don’t want to go. I want to sit with you!”

“I want to sit with Mom and Big Sister too!” Fan Jiang wasn’t foolish either.

The men’s table was full of grandfathers, old men who loved to lecture. The kids would definitely get an earful if they went there. In contrast, the table with Mom was full of warm-hearted aunts who smiled and cared for them, and they’d even get extra food—much more comfortable.

Fan Hu looked longingly at Shuiqing, hoping his mother would relent. Lin Ran just kept his head down, indifferent.

But Shuiqing’s heart, cold and unyielding from years of experience, showed no mercy: “No way!

Aunt Xu and the others don’t want to sit at that table either. They all came to our side. Plus, with the aunts who helped us before, there’s no space at all! Go on, the four of you, don’t even think about coming over here!”

Not only did the village invite the elderly men, but they also invited the women. The women didn’t want to sit with their husbands and would rather squeeze in at Shuiqing’s table. She had no choice but to switch the large round table for the women and give the men the smaller eight-person table.

It was already crowded, and there was no way these four kids could join them.

Fan He pouted, seeing no room for negotiation, and reluctantly dragged his feet over to the men’s table.

Shuiqing: …Well, you may dislike them now, but when you’re old, the younger ones might not want to sit with you either.

Having dealt with the four kids, Shuiqing happily shut the door and joined the lively atmosphere inside the house.

Over here, faced with five large bowls of substantial dishes, the elderly couldn’t help but swallow their saliva. They trembled as they reached for their chopsticks, first aiming for the cabbage, only to find that it was mostly fatty meat.

The fatty meat actually outweighed the cabbage!

Swallowing hard, they thought that Fan Jin’s wife was truly generous.

This was fatty meat, after all. Rich and oily fatty meat.