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Mrs. Hu witnessed Dahua crying and pointing at Chen Feng, assuming that Chen Feng had bullied Dahua. Enraged, she kicked Chen Feng and scolded, “You fool, why did you hit my Dahua? Are you so mean that you want to make Dahua as foolish as you?”
Following closely, Chen Ye, Chen Ming, and others entered and witnessed Mrs. Hu kicking and scolding Chen Feng.
Chen Ye scolded Mrs. Hu, “You, woman, why are you scolding A’Feng? A’Feng is unclear in the head, are you also unclear?”
Seeing Chen Ming, Chen Dabao ran over, grasped his hand, and cried loudly, “My mom didn’t hit Brother Dahua. Aunt Jue gave my mom some pine nut candy, and when my mom saw Brother Dahua wanting it, she gave it to him. But as soon as he put it in his mouth, he spat it out and started crying.”
Witnessing Dahua’s red mouth, continuous crying, and the candy on the ground with some chili powder stuck to it, everyone understood. It was apparent that Chen Jue wanted to tease the fool, but unexpectedly harmed Dahua.
Mrs. Hu didn’t see it that way and continued to glare at Chen Feng, scolding, “How does the fool know Dahua wants candy? Hmm, being a fool isn’t scary, but being both a fool and mean is, that could kill people.”
Chen Ye, red-faced, scolded, “I say, you woman, it’s clearly A’Jue’s fault, why scold A’Feng?”
Chen Dabao continued crying, “Also, Aunt Jue first gave my mom a bowl of scalding hot water, luckily my mom didn’t drink it.”
Mrs. Hu defended, “Nonsense, you didn’t even drink it, how do you know it was scalding hot?”
Chen Dabao fell silent, hugging Chen Ming’s leg, softly sobbing. Chen Feng secretly rejoiced; this son was the best ally. He said what needed to be said, let others figure out the rest. Meanwhile, she looked foolishly at the ceiling.
Chen Ming and Mrs. Wang, infuriated, though A’Feng didn’t suffer, it was just luck. Her mind was clearer now. If it were like before, being foolish, she would have really suffered. Mrs. Wang’s eyes reddened, she came over, embraced A’Feng, and Chen Lu went over to comfort his sister.
Chen Ming, trembling with anger, said, “No matter how the child is, they are treasures in their parents’ hearts. How can we bear to let them be bullied like this? Oh, because my child offends your eyes, making you uncomfortable. Anyway, we apologized, we’ll just go home.”
Chen Ye quickly advised, “Second brother, how can our brotherly bond be mixed up with women and children? Don’t be angry.” Then, he continued to scold Hu and Chen Jue.
Chen Gui also kept apologizing.
Mrs. Hu remained silent with a stern face, but Chen Jue felt wronged, crying, “She’s just a fool. Because of her and that wild child, we’ve suffered so much, yet father and elder brother still help them scold me…”
Chen Ye, upon hearing this, was so angry he wanted to hit her but was pulled away by Chen Lan.
Although Old Lady Chen didn’t like A’Feng and Dabao, she knew Jue was at fault, and the second son was especially protective. Also, since Wang had married into their family, not only had the second son miraculously survived, but she had also given birth to a son. From her heart, she was grateful to Wang. Moreover, Jue was spoiled; if she really harmed someone, her reputation would be even worse.
So she became a mediator and advised, “Second son, A’Jue was wrong, she’s young and doesn’t understand. Your brother scolded her, now where are you going? Don’t say things that hurt our relationships, otherwise, mother won’t be happy. Don’t be angry, it’s mother’s birthday banquet, everyone should be happy, that’s mother’s blessing.”
Chen Ming didn’t really want to go back; he always felt that his elder brother and nephew were good and wanted to maintain good relations between the two families. His own mortality was uncertain, and he wanted the main branch to help this widowed family after his passing, to lend a hand when they were being mistreated.
Softening his tone, he said to Chen Ye and Mrs. Hu, “We have already split our households. Even if A’Feng isn’t smart, he’s not as unsightly as the nieces. People will only say how remarkable the Chen family’s girls from the east of the village are. Moreover, A’Feng regards Dabao as his son. I have explained this to the local officials and villagers multiple times. It’s because A’Feng’s situation is special; we didn’t want her to suffer when marrying, so we plan to establish her for the future. Most villagers understand and approve, and it won’t affect the girls’ prospects.”
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Hu became angry and exclaimed, “Second-in law brother speaks lightly. Who approves of this? Isn’t it just a joke that our Chen family lacks proper etiquette, allowing a 15 yrs old girl to regard a 5 yrs old boy as a son? What else might happen? Also, your explanations were just to the local people, but do those from other villages know?”
Blushing, Chen Ming said, “If any family misunderstands the girls because of A’Feng and Dabao, I will go to explain.”
Mrs. Hu replied, “Can you really explain it away?”
Chen Ye interrupted Hu, scolding, “Are you still blabbering here? Are we not going to have the banquet for mother’s birthday?” Then, he supported the old lady and led Chen Ming back to the main room.
Mrs. Hu had to take Gao with her to the kitchen, muttering as they walked, “Constantly talking about establishing her, has it been done? Maybe it’s just a trick.”
Mrs. Wang followed behind Mrs. Hu, explaining, “The head of the family plans to establish A’Feng as a daughter in a few years. By then, Dabao will be older, and they can fend for themselves.”
Mrs. Hu coldly snorted, ignoring Wang.
During the meal, Chen Jue, angry, did not come to the main room.
The old lady, along with her two sons and grandson Chen Gui, ate at the heated brick-bed table, while the rest dined at the large ground table.
The atmosphere at the brick-bed table was lively, filled with conversation and laughter. Especially when discussing the success of the third son, Chen Shi’s business, as he had recently acquired a small courtyard with a storefront in the capital, everyone was pleased, and laughter was abundant.
Chen Shi not only provided money and goods to the old lady and the main branch but also didn’t neglect the second branch. The entire family held him in high regard.
However, the atmosphere at the ground table was less amicable. Chen Dahua and Chen Daya deliberately distanced themselves from Chen Feng, and even though Chen Lan smiled, it was evident that she didn’t like sitting next to her. Chen Feng didn’t seem to mind, she sits to the left of Mrs. Wang and to the right is Dabao and Lu.
Though the dishes were simple farm fare, it was relatively abundant, with five vegetarian and four meat dishes, symbolizing longevity. Some of the meat dishes only had a few pieces of meat, but they still emitted a savory aroma. Moreover, several dishes were stir-fried, rather than the usual stewed dishes at home. Catching a whiff of the fragrant food, Chen Feng’s mouth watered, and she quickly wiped it with her kerchief.
Chen Dahua noticed Chen Feng drooling and remarked, “Look, she’s drooling again.” Worried that his father might hear and scold him, he cleverly lowered his voice.
This infuriated Chen Feng, and she rolled her eyes, annoyed that the exercise had become a regular occurrence.
Chen Daya added, “Hey, she’s even rolling her eyes now.”
Gao hurriedly reassured the two children, “Nonsense, be careful, or your father will scold you again.”
“Mrs. Hu gave Gao a glare and said, ‘You were a fool to begin with; why not let people talk?'”