Chapter 44: Gathering News

“Bananas, eh? I ate them once as a child, but they weren’t this big. Fubao, tell Grandma—where did you pick these up?”

Zhang Jinlan held the banana, turning it over in her hands, her face full of doubt.

At first, she thought her granddaughter had simply picked some late-spring fruit.

Who would have thought it was a banana?

But weren’t bananas only ripe in summer?

How could they show up so early in spring?

“Up in the mountains. Second Brother and the others were catching bugs. I heard something calling, so I ran over. It had lots of fur—mm, like the big yellow dog in the village, except it had a long tail and a big red backside. Big Yellow doesn’t have that. When it saw Fubao, it climbed a tree and ran off. Fubao picked this fruit up from the ground.”

Jiang Fubao could spin lies without blinking.

Not even a hint of blush on her face.

“What Fubao’s talking about must be a monkey. No wonder she found bananas. Likely the monkey hid them in a cave. Since caves are cold, the fruit didn’t rot.”

Jiang Shoujia immediately guessed what his granddaughter meant.

He continued, “Bananas keep longer than most fruit. If they really were hidden in a cold cave, it makes sense they’d still be edible now. But Fubao—since when are there monkeys on the outer slopes? Tongmu, come here. Did you kids sneak into the inner forest?”

At his grandfather’s words, Jiang Fubao trembled.

The other children didn’t look much better.

“N-no… Today when we were catching bugs, maybe we went a bit too deep. But it shouldn’t count as the inner forest, right? Grandpa, I was wrong. Next time I definitely won’t go so far in.”

Jiang Tongmu wasn’t stupid. If he admitted outright, he’d get a beating.

So he denied it first, then made it sound uncertain, then quickly apologized.

The whole routine.

In the end, he only got a stern warning and nothing more.

—

By midday, the Jiang family had finished lunch and eaten up all the bananas.

Afterwards, they started chatting.

“Later, Eryong, you and your wife come with me to Sunjia Village to check on Sanhe. Remember to take five eggs—otherwise that Zhou Xiufen will run her mouth again. Forget it, make it ten. Five for your wife’s family too, so you don’t get scolded for ignoring your natal home.”

At the mention of gossip she’d heard earlier in Zhoujia Village, Zhang Jinlan instructed her second son.

The “Zhou Xiufen” she referred to was the mother-in-law of her third daughter, Jiang Sanhe.

Not wanting to ask the clan leader’s daughters-in-law for news about the Zhou family, she had no choice but to go herself.

Though she had quarrels with her in-law, ten eggs ought to smooth things over.

“Alright, Mother, I’ll get them ready.”

Sun Pingmei quickly agreed.

She left the main hall and went to the kitchen.

“Tongjin, don’t take it the wrong way. Grandma doesn’t distrust Yuanyuan. But marriage is no small matter—we have to be sure. If the women in Zhoujia Village are just gossiping nonsense, Grandma will ignore it. But if Yuanyuan really is involved with that so-called student, don’t blame Grandma—this marriage must be called off!”

Zhang Jinlan’s face was serious.

“I understand.” Jiang Tongjin lowered his head, voice heavy.

A quarter of an hour later—

Zhang Jinlan, with her second son and daughter-in-law, set out.

By the time they reached Sunjia Village, half an hour had passed.

Her daughter’s in-laws had left their gate open, so Zhang Jinlan walked straight in.

“Kinfolk! Sanhe! Are you home—” she called loudly.

“Mother, what brings you here?”

Jiang Sanhe came from the backyard, holding a hatchet, surprise written all over her face.

“Where’s your mother-in-law?” Zhang Jinlan asked instead of explaining.

“What do you want with me?”

Just then, Zhou Xiufen emerged from the house.

Her hair was messy, as if she’d just woken from a nap.

“To ask you about something—and to see my granddaughter.”

Zhang Jinlan finished and gave her daughter-in-law a small signal with her chin.

Sun Pingmei understood at once. She carried over a bamboo basket, smiling, and pulled back the cloth to reveal five eggs inside.

“Auntie, we don’t have much at home, just a few eggs to help nourish the children.”

At the sight of eggs, Zhou Xiufen’s frown vanished instantly.

“Well now, you shouldn’t have! Come, come inside and sit.”

Her sudden warmth was a sharp contrast to her earlier look.

Once seated in the Zhou family’s main hall, Zhang Jinlan got straight to the point.

“Do you know Zhou Yuanyuan? Her grandmother is Zhou Chenshi. My eldest grandson is engaged to her family. But I’ve heard people say there’s gossip about them in your village. Could you help me find out?”

“Zhou Yuanyuan? Oh, her! Why would you tie your family to theirs? That Zhou Chenshi was no good when she was young. A granddaughter raised by her—what good can she be? I’ll ask around tomorrow. I’ve got a few sisters who always know the latest. Once I find out, I’ll have my son go tell you in Jiangjia Village.”

At the mere mention of Zhou Chenshi, Zhou Xiufen shook her head repeatedly, disdain all over her face.

“That would be a great help. If not for my grandson, I wouldn’t trouble you. By the way, where are my three granddaughters? Haven’t seen them.”

Having gotten the answer she wanted, Zhang Jinlan finally felt relieved.

She glanced around the room.

“Oh, Zhao Di and the others went to the mountains to catch bugs. We keep two hens in the backyard, and the girls feed them. Every other day we get an egg—makes life a lot easier.”

Zhou Xiufen said with a touch of pride.

“I see. Well, I’ll head back then. Sanhe, unless something happens, eight days from now you’ll come to your eldest nephew’s wedding banquet. Bring your in-laws as well. Kinfolk, do come and don’t miss it. Alright, we’ll be off.”

Since she couldn’t see her granddaughters, Zhang Jinlan didn’t linger.

If not for the eggs, Zhou Xiufen likely wouldn’t have given her a kind word.

The last quarrel between the two families had been three years ago, when her daughter was mistreated for bearing a third daughter.

Since then, there had been no contact.

Her daughter hadn’t even returned to her natal home once.

“Alright, safe travels then. Within three days, I’ll have news for you.”

Though greedy, Zhou Xiufen was indeed dependable once she accepted the eggs.

As soon as her in-laws left, she set out for Zhoujia Village to investigate.

The round trip only took half an hour.

It wasn’t far.

—

Meanwhile—

On the way home, Zhang Jinlan noticed the empty bamboo basket and turned to her daughter-in-law in surprise.

“Didn’t I tell you to bring ten eggs? I meant to ask earlier. Why only five? And you didn’t even stop by your own family. Be careful the villagers don’t spread word—if your mother finds out, she’ll be upset.”

“Upset, so what? I’m part of the Jiang family now. What’s the point of bringing eggs back there? When I married, they didn’t skimp a bit on the bride price, but for dowry they couldn’t even spare a quilt. Just gave me coarse hemp clothes. It was shameful. Eggs are delicious—why should I give them away? Better I eat them myself.”

Sun Pingmei spat on the ground, anger flashing in her eyes.