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Seeing Chen Feng’s expression, the Old Lady thought that Chen Shi was probably afraid that Mrs. Hu would make unreasonable demands again and wouldn’t dare to come back. She no longer cared about Mrs. Wang and Chen Feng, scolding Mrs. Hu, “You are diligent in your old Hu family, but you come to my son’s house and sit like a Bodhisattva. You’re not going to the kitchen to start the fire, waiting for my son to serve you?”
Angered, Mrs. Hu had no choice but to go to the stove and start a fire.
Since the incident with the two parrots, Chen Ye had been unhappy. These days she not only appeased Chen Ye, but also refrained from meddling further, and Chen Ye’s attitude towards her had improved somewhat. However, she had not worked for the old Hu family since then. One time, Hu Laowu sent someone to invite them to drink at the Hu family, but Chen Ye refused to go and forbade Chen Gui from going as well.
Hu Laowu could put aside his pride to please those who were more powerful, but he wouldn’t do so to please Chen Ye. Nowadays, the relationship between the two families was no longer as close as before.
Whenever Old Lady Chen’s eldest son disliked someone, she would also dislike that person, especially since she had always harbored a dislike for Mrs. Hu. Consequently, Mrs. Hu’s days at home were not so pleasant, constantly being scolded for any mishap.
She didn’t dare to provoke Old Lady Chen and could only glare fiercely at Chen Feng.
After cutting up the side dishes, Old Lady Chen sat with the men on the heated brick bed, drinking, and then called in Dahua, Lu, and Dabao to eat inside. Meanwhile, Chen Feng and her mother were busy in the kitchen, making noodles and stir-frying leek with eggs.
Since Chen Feng had been earning money, Dabao’s status in the Chen family had been steadily rising. Not only did he no longer have to sit in front of the stove, he could now sit on the heated brick bed and eat meat just like Dahua.
Mrs. Hu no longer dared to eat at the table as before, and continued to sit at the stove, tending the fire. Seeing Old Lady Chen enter the room, she muttered under her breath, “Sister-in-law, there’s a fresh piece of gossip spreading in our village, oh, it’s spreading so unpleasantly…”
Mrs. Wang, who was cutting the noodles, looked up and asked, “What’s the fresh piece of gossip?”
As Chen Feng was frying the eggs, she heard Mrs. Hu’s words and slammed the spatula against the edge of the pan.
The harsh sound startled Mrs. Hu, who scolded, “You silly girl, you scared me to death. Are you still not well from your silly disease? You’re knocking the pot so hard, aren’t you afraid of causing a leak?”
Hearing Mrs. Hu scold her daughter, Mrs. Wang became unhappy. She had been frequently influenced by Chen Feng lately, who told her that Mrs. Hu was a bully who was only afraid of strength. Besides, Hu Laowu was no longer daring to provoke them, so there was no need to put up with her.
With a stern face, she said to Mrs. Hu, “I say, Sister-in-law, my A’Feng has been well for a long time now. She is diligent and filial, much better than some other girls from certain families. Can you stop talking about being silly?”
Mrs. Hu wanted to continue talking but was startled by Chen Feng’s pot-knocking once again.
Chen Feng looked at her coldly and said, “Aunt, I’ve heard quite a few things when we went to my Third Uncle’s house this time. Should I talk to my uncle about it?”
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Hu snorted and did not dare to speak further.
After the noodles were cooked, they were placed into a large basin and carried inside. Upon entering the room, Chen Feng noticed that Chen Jue was also there. She had been sitting quietly on a stool behind the door and hadn’t made a sound, so no one noticed her arrival.
Her “gracious” visit today was probably to see what gifts the affluent second branch had brought back, as well as to listen to Chen Feng’s news. Chen Jue and Chen Feng were of similar age, and Chen Jue was most resentful about how Chen Feng, a city dweller, always dressed better than her whenever she returned to the village, and received more compliments.
The women sat at the large table on the floor to eat.
Mrs. Wang described the recent situation at Chen Shi’s home, mentioning that their skewered side dish business was doing well, but didn’t specify how much they were earning. She also talked about Chen Feng becoming the needlework master of the young miss of Tangyuan and designing clothes for the embroidery workshop belonging to the Chu residence.
Seeing the jealousy in Mrs. Hu and Chen Jue’s eyes, Chen Feng couldn’t help but find it amusing.
Chen Ye and Grandma Chen were very pleased, especially upon hearing that the skewered side dishes on the table were made by Chen Shi. They were delighted to learn that he was making money through this business and had also gained favor with the steward at the General’s residence.
They were equally thrilled and astonished by Chen Feng’s new role as the needlework master, expressing that no one in the village would dare to provoke the old Chen family anymore. Of course, they secretly hoped that Chen Feng wouldn’t go to recognize her biological father. Currently, their greatest fear was that Chen Feng would discover that she wasn’t Chen Ming’s biological daughter and would seek to connect with her real father, which would make the old Chen family’s many years of care for her all for naught.
Chen Ye, who had drunk quite a bit, had a flushed face and even red eyes. He sighed, “If I had known A’Feng was so capable, I wouldn’t have worked for the old Hu family for so many years without pay. When Hu Laowu was young, I helped him because of your Aunt. But when he grew up, he didn’t do anything and still made me work for his family. I thought that even though Hu Laowu was a mess, he was smart and well-regarded in the area. I helped him so much and expected him to take care of our family. But I never thought he would disown us and scheme against the old Chen family. What a disgraceful person…”
As he grew more furious, he started to curse Mrs. Hu. Chen Gui quickly interrupted him, saying, “Dad, don’t be angry. You said that Uncle doesn’t recognize his relatives, so there’s no need to work for him without pay in the future.”
Furious, Mrs. Hu gritted her teeth but dared not speak.
Chen Feng then interjected with words about how capable Chen Yu was, how Chen Tang was a good student, and how Chen Aman was diligent, pretty, and likable.
Grandma Chen smiled and said, “All three of those children are lovable.”
Chen Ye turned to Chen Jue and said, “Look, Aman is younger than you, yet she does all kinds of work at home. You should learn something. You’re a grown girl, you should be doing something by now.”
Grandma Chen also added, “You should have started learning earlier. What will you do when you get married and go to your in-laws’ house? Your mother spoils you at home, but your mother-in-law and husband won’t indulge you.”
After the meal, Chen Feng and Mrs. Wang brought out the gifts for the main house and Grandma Chen. Chen Feng noticed the gleam in Mrs. Hu and Chen Jue’s eyes.
The silver hairpin for Grandma Chen, the jade pipe for Chen Ye, and the silver earrings for Chen Lan were particularly dazzling, bringing great joy to Grandma Chen and Chen Ye. The silver earrings for Chen Lan were the same ones that Chen Feng had bought for herself. Later, considering that Lan was soon to be married, she decided to give her the earrings as a gift. She specifically explained to Grandma Chen that because Lan was getting married, she had bought these earrings for her.
They also brought out the silk for Grandma Chen, Chen Ye, and Chen Gui, as well as satin clothes for Chen Daya, and some delicacies, not only from the capital city but also from the provincial and national capitals.
(End of this chapter)